Jinchuuriki no Kyuu
by Feral Smile
Summary: At a young age, the demon containers are stolen from their homes, their villages. They quickly become known as the Jinchuuriki Nine. How do you end a war? By taking away it's deadliest weapon.
1. A Slight Alteration in History

Naruto walked resolutely to his home. This day was always the worst. The glares were harder, less hidden, and the words were louder, insulting. Rarely, one of the drunkards would come after him, but thanks to AnBu-san, nothing ever came of it. No, no villager had ever laid a hand on Naruto. Deprived of this, they attacked him emotionally. They made his life hell. They made sure their kids didn't talk to him. Didn't serve him in shops.

Fireworks lit the alleyways around him. The alleys were dark and dirty, but not overly so. A thin sheen of dust and debris lay about. The next day, rookie ninja would be seen wandering about the village, picking up trash and tidying up after this celebration. The angry red glare gave way to a green light, burning as it made its way back to the ground. It was heating up quickly, this night. Normally Octobers were much colder in Konoha. There was a shout, and a drunk man barreled out of a nearby alleyway, sleeves slightly smoking, and knocked Naruto down. He groaned and got back to his feet, dusting himself off. Winced as he rubbed his skinned elbow.

The boy continued on his way, hurting inside, wondering why he was always treated this way. Drops of liquid pain struck the ground, shattering into smaller droplets before soaking the earth. Thunderclouds were gathering, dark and foreboding. The rolled and expanded. The air was heavy around him.

When he set his eyes on his apartment, he sniffed and tried to keep from crying. A crackling quite roar was emanating from the building, which was aflame. He turned and walked, dodging through the streets as the AnBu's partner left to notify the Hokage. The boy finally reached his destination.

The remaining AnBu watched as the boy wiped his face and looked up at the Hokage monument. The child extended his arm, balled his fist, and shouted something that was snatched away by a clap of thunder, and a sudden flash of light. The boy had started, and looked around. He looked straight into the AnBu's eyes, who by instinct became perfectly still.

Lightning lazily traced the sky overhead, and crashed into a nearby building, instantly turning all visibly surfaces bright, blindingly white. Almost simultaneously, a cracking, deafening clap of thunder rocked the alleys and buildings.

The boy was no longer there.

* * *

These kinds of storms were natural occurrence in Kumo. Nestled happily in an ever present cloudbank, the air was always very humid, and thunderstorms came weekly. Yugito sat cross-legged on a tree branch, watching a boy. Visibility was relatively low, as rain poured around and on her, soaking everything. The boy was dark skinned, and was wearing sunglasses. He was short, but stocky. He was smiling. _How can you smile when you're just like me now?_

She felt deep pity for the boy when she had heard that the Hachibi was sealed within him. But watching him smile, she felt angry. Yugito could not explain these emotions, even if she had acknowledged them. It was because of her age: a tender seven years old. She continued to observe, and noticed another boy in the shadows. he was covered in cloak, but was unmistakably holding a kunai. She almost called out when he burst from his hiding place, kunai held high. At the perfect time, the new container turned, 'accidentally' knocking the kunai out of the other boys hand. He looked confused, but then smiled and offered his fist in a friendly gesture to his attacker. The attacker turned and ran, and the black boy lowered his hand slowly. The rain intensified, and a storm cloud covered the moon, plunging the square into darkness. When her vision recovered, the boy was gone. The second moment, the world went dark again, and before she lost consciousness completely, she felt a massive force pull her body off the branch and away. Then there was nothing.

* * *

The medicine was a heavy salve in his hands. He smiled, knowing soon all would be forgiven. As Gaara reached the boys door, he raised a hand to knock, and he heard footsteps within. Theinjured boy opened the door, but all he saw was a salve container clattering to the ground.

* * *

That week, all the Jinchuuriki disappeared from their homes, the streets they were walking on, the missions they were completing, from the food they were eating. The reason was unknown, and there were no traces.

-(Several weeks earlier)-

"Weasel, this is a triple-S rank mission. This is beyond Kage level. No one will know, and you will never return here. This mission is the ultimate test of shinobi, and only the ultimate shinobi will be able to complete it. You will be tested beyond not only your abilities, but mine as well. There will be no payment. No positive recognition of any kind. Do you accept?"

Uchiha Itachi narrowed his eyes behind his mask. He knew this would come. His family was disloyal to Konoha. Logically, they must be removed. It would be difficult, yes, but not beyond the abilities of his sharingan. The Hokage knew this, surely. So why...? His eyes grew hard, set. He was a shinobi. He was an elite. This may very well be his destiny.

"I accept, Hokage-sama."

"I hereby order you to assassinate the Uchiha family. Only those who have yet to graduate the Academy and younger are permitted to live." He looked at the boy sadly. "I am sorry that this must be done."

Itachi said nothing.

"You will leave Konoha afterwards. My involvement in this can never be known. You will be labeled an S-class missing ninja, and my hunter-nin will throw their lives away chasing you."

He had also expected this. If the Hokage was revealed as the puppeteer behind this, the village would be undone. His thoughts were interrupted, however.

"Furthermore, immediately following your," He winced. "Culling of the Uchiha, you will kidnap Uzumaki Naruto, and bring him with you."

Itachi's eyes narrowed once more, and he cocked his head to one side.

"Naruto is the Jinchuuriki of the nine tailed demon fox. Extrapolate what you must. He is guarded by two AnBu units at all times. They must not be alerted. Kill them only if you must."

The young AnBu captain nodded.

"There are whispers in my spy network of an organization they desires the Bijuu for their own. Their goals are unknown, but I have my theories. You must not let them capture Naruto. Do everything within your power to protect him."

Uchiha Itachi's mind connected dots and instantly began strategizing, short and long term. "The Jinchuuriki's parents are Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina?"

The Hokage nodded. This boy was very bright. His best agent. "The son of two of the most talented shinobi of all time. Even without the Kyuubi within him, he would have grown into an extremely formidable foe."

Itachi was slightly confused. The Hokage was not dismissing him easily. He had the mission details, there was no reason to keep him here.

"Itachi, I understand that you may grow to hate Konoha." He sighed, and handed Itachi a gilded scroll. "The boys inheritance. When you see fit. You are his guardian now. Uchiha Itachi, you have my license to kill any Konoha ninja that attempt to stop you in completing this mission, or who are a threat to your cover. Good luck, son." The Hokage's eyes hardened. "You are dismissed."

* * *

Author's Notes: Prologue. First chapter will be up later today - but I have a Parkour class to instruct in a couple hours, so it may be not until tonight. Comments are appreciated. Criticism even more so.


	2. A Proposition

"Hokage-sama," Umino Iruka shuffled uneasily as he gave his report. "The task you assigned me has been completed: I have gathered the rumors from your spy network into a comprehensive report on the group you asked for."

Jiraiya of the Sannin, now Hokage of Konoha, nodded seriously. He covered the pornographic illustration he had been completing, much to Iruka's discomfort. "Report."

"There are an unknown number among them. However, they have an established chain of command. They appear to work predominantly in pairs, however they have been known to do missions solo or as a group. They are all ranked at least S-class by my estimations. They have been noted to wear rings corresponding to their rank or power, varying in material, design, and gemstone." He paused, and removed his AnBu mask. "We have not been able to recover any of their assassination targets for autopsy. However, we were able to recover this."

He removed a piece of material from his pocket, black in color, with swirling red clouds. He lay it carefully on the Hokage's desk. Jiraiya frowned. "Akatsuki."

"Yes. This was the only thing we've been able to retrieve from a target since we were assigned. We have been unable to initiate contact with any member of the group. We do not know how many Akatsuki members have been taken out, or whom."

"So, they've been killing Akatsuki members."

"Yes sir." Iruka bowed low. "Nara Shikaku gave his life for this."

The AnBu put a small slip of paper on the desk. It was blank, thin, and looked unremarkable to the untrained eye. To a Sannin, however...

"This is a chakra slip." He picked the paper up, and channeled his energy into it. Immediately, dark symbols appeared.

_Leader of Konoha,_

_Your persistence is commendable, but the affairs of the hidden villages are of little concern to us. This shinobi's life need not have been forfeit, but he should have known better than to intrude on Cat's privacy. However, should you desire a mission contract, we will not deny you. If you wish, send one shinobi to 671 Oak Lane, residential district._

There was no signature. The Hokage read the paper twice more before incinerating it. He nodded to Iruka, who had replaced his mask and was standing at attention. "You are dismissed."

As his visitor vanished, Jiraiya placed his thumb on a miniscule tattoo on his arm, and whispered "Dog."

Exactly six-sevenths of a second later, Hitake Kakashi was awaiting his mission details.

"You are to go to 671 Oak Lane, in the residential district, shadowed by Hawk and Wolf. There appears to be an agent in our village we are unaware of. When you make contact, you are to give them this message," He passed a paper to Kakashi that he had just finished writing on. "Deliver this only to the leader of the group himself. Observe all you can, and prepare a report for me."

"I understand, Hokage-sama." He turned to leave, but Jiraiya grabbed his shoulder.

"Kakashi, I truly commend you for taking a Genin team in addition to your regular AnBu assignments. The Chuunin exam is soon, should you desire to nominate them."

The copy-ninja nodded, and exited.

The Hokage buttoned his robe, and started to make his way to the Nara estate.

* * *

When Kakashi arrived at the residence in question, he was taken aback. It was the charred remains of what used to be an apartment complex. There was only one building still standing, and it was in very poor shape. His shadows vanished from his perception, and he opened the door. Then, several things happened at once.

Something grabbed his throat, his ankles, and his wrists faster than he could respond. His mask cracked, and the world flashed. The hands vanished and he was in a dark grassy clearing, and if the species of tree surrounded them could be any judge, he was no longer in Konoha, or near it.

"Well, my shadows will be confused." He removed his almost-useless mask now, but also raised his headband. "You'll understand if I am ill-at-ease."

Standing in front of him was a boy slightly taller than him with striking blue eyes and blonde hair, held back in a somewhat spiky ponytail. He was dressed black baggy pants with scrolls in each side near the knee, and a crimson shirt with black designs. The shirt stopped at his elbows, leaving his tanned arms bare except for black leather wrappings on his wrists and black, fingerless gloves with metal backplates. His fingernails were elongated and wickedly sharp. On his face, he wore a metal faceplate corresponding to Kakashi's cloth facemask. It gleamed, but had gaps for breathing and so the speaker's voice could be heard. Behind the mask, the boy had a piercing in the middle of his bottom lip, a steel spike, with a swirling design on it. He had three scars on each cheek, and each was coated in a very fine layer of bright steel links, so small that it would look simply like the marks were layered with metal. His eyes were cold and blue, staring straight into both of Kakashi's eyes.

All of this, the Konoha-nin noted via his Sharingan. The figure visible in his normal eye wore a cloak blacker than night itself, with a hood drawn over his face. The cloak was not pulled shut, but it was precisely angled so that every bit of the inside was in such deep shadow that a normal eye would not be able to penetrate it. The only thing visually notable to his normal eye was the metal rimming the hood as a weight, as well as the hem of the cloak. The boys hands were also in the open, nails ribbed and deadly. His face and eyes were in darkness, but the metal faceplate was visible.

Six chakra signatures were suddenly behind him without warning. They were miniscule, and all were varying in size. They were arraigned in order, so the weakest was on one side of the semi-circle and the strongest was on the other side.

All of this Kakashi logged mentally as he whipped kunai in seven directions at once, redirecting one mid-flight with his shoe as he twisted out of the range of probable attack. At once, he was in a field of bones and ashes, all color drained from the world. Only one figure, cloaked the same as the first, was present as he stood, and the eyes his Sharingan registered were deathly white. Skeletal arms burst from the ground, and pulled him to the earth, twisting around him. The figure walked to him, and seemed to tower over him. And without warning, he was returned to the grassy field, in the same position as he was a moment before he threw the kunai.

"A little taste of your planned future, Konoha puppet."

The figure in front of him narrowed his eyes in what could have been a displeased gesture. "Do try to refrain from offending our clients...or placing them in Genjutsu, Yugito."

"Tsk."

_Genjutsu? My Sharingan should have countered that!_

"Before my colleagues build too rude of an image in your mind, please relay the mission details and I'll quote you a figure."

Kakashi steeled himself. "I have a message for your leader." He paused, calculating. "Only your leader."

The figure lowered his hood, and as he did, the second coming of the white fang noticed that he had been wrong. The figure was not exclusively blonde, he also had crimson bleeding into his hair seemingly at random. He also noted that the boys pupils were rimmed with red, which in turn was surrounded by oceanic blue.

"I am Fox." He raised one eyebrow, expression still unreadable due to face plate. "Your message?"

"Konoha is hosting the Chuunin Exams this year." He paused, but before he could go on, a delicate voice spoke behind him.

"The new Hokage wants us to watch. Provided, of course, we don't slaughter anyone." She giggled darkly, and Kakashi felt rather than saw her angle her head at the Jinchuuriki on the end of the line. Somehow, the gesture was mocking. The mocked figure growled.

"Enough." Fox's joints cracked as he flexed his hands. "You may tell your Hokage we will observe."

The figure who had giggled jumped up and down excitedly, and said, "Oh yay!"

Fox's eyes snapped to her and she immediately quieted. "Brother, I require your services once more."

And then there was a man behind Fox, his eyes swirling with red and black, and Kakashi looked into his eyes and immediately recognized the Mangekyou Sharingan.

He was in the Hokage's office. His ears popped, nearly making him lose balance and fall.

"Kakashi?" Jiraiya blinked. "I didn't feel you approach. What news have you?"

In true elite form, Kakashi recovered quickly and relayed the experience to the Hokage. Jiraiya stood, and walked to a window, gazing out. His gaze lit on the Hokage monument.

"You said this boy was blonde, with blue eyes?"

"Yes Hokage. And _precisely_ the same facial structure as _him_."

"_Uzumaki Naruto_. My godson is returning to Konoha." The white haired man closed his eyes. "Aaah, Minato. You would be so ashamed."

"Sir?"

"Apologies, Kakashi. You are dismissed."

"Hai." Kakashi left through the door.

Jiraiya sighed, and spoke to himself. "We will offer you a home; it's the least we can do."

* * *

Sasuke scowled as his teammate tried to complete thegrand fireball technique. She was pitifully weak. She made the hand signs, and the chakra gathered in her throat, and burst forth, making a precisely shaped fireball...the size of a tennis ball. He shook his head, an and activated his fully-matured Sharingan. He remembered as it activated, fully fledged.

_FLASHBACK_

_Mirrors of cold ice surrounded him, and he was covered with needles. He growled, and saw Sakura in the distance, desperately trying to hold off a clone. He saw Kakashi at a deadlock with the missing ninja. No help was coming for him. The needles kept raining, and he kept trying to dodge, desperately. He risked a glance into the eyes of one of the refections of Haku, and saw the senbon needle leave the mirror. He watched it, knowing it's path would it through his heart. There was no way to block it, his arms were sluggish. He thought about Sakura, always so sweet, but so useless. Kakashi, smiling and giving them his word, that he'd protect them. He felt an overwhelming urge to protect them. The senbon slowed in mid air, and the world tinted and warped a bit, as the Sharingan negotiated his focus. His foot kicked up a splinter of cement, which deflected the needle, and his hands flew through hand signs he didn't know. _

_**"Fire Element: Lions Rage Technique!"**_

_Power rushed through his veins and he spit fire at Haku, white hot flames that melted the mirror. He saw the body switch mirrors and hit the offending ice with a bone-shattering straight kick. The mirrors started to fall, and he was on Haku's body in an instant. The one of the last remaining Uchiha reared back his head, filled his lungs, then blew flames straight into the trapped boys face, flames so blisteringly hot that the cement below him cracked and started to glow slightly. He stood, and faced Sakura. He took a step, then another, and reached out an arm. Firey tendrils snaked out form the limb and ripped the Zabuza clone apart, just as a screeching split the air and the real Zabuza was impaled on Kakashi's arm._

_The world went black._

_END FLASHBACK_

"Sakura, that's enough for today. Good work."

The girl beamed up at him. Then frowned when she saw the Sharingan. It was swirled in such a way that each of the three prongs attached with flicking black tendrils to each other. But if he had unveiled his Sharingan, that must mean...

"Taijutsu." And the Uchiha genius was on her, breaking her guard with crushing blows, until she kicked him in the chest and he disappeared. "Ninjutsu."

He rose out of the water behind her, and as she turned he made hand signs. "This is a fireball: **Fire Element: Grand Fireball Technique!"**

She dove into the water under the scorching flames, and signed for a clone. The Sharingan saw through this illusion however and he placed his hands on the water beneath him. **"Ice Element: Freezing Tomb!"**

Ice slowly worked its way out from his hands, slowly, very slowly, covering the lake with a sheet of ice. It stopped about three feet from his hands however, and it was only a quarter of an inch thick. "Well damn, I guess that didn't work."

**"Fire Element: Grand Fireball Technique!" **A flame the size of a basketball shot at his head as he deftly cut chakra to his feet and he sank into the water. She had improved. It didn't matter, he was bored. In less than ten seconds, he had her in a submission hold on the ground, a kunai to her throat.

"Good work. Maybe someday you'll be Genin level," Sasuke mocked.

He got up and walked off. "I have to meet with Kakashi about training for the Chuunin Exams."

She continued laying on the ground, utterly exhausted.

* * *

"Motives?" Naruto was sitting in the shadow of a big tree, with his back against the trunk. "What do they want?"

Fuu danced around the brightly lit clearing, "Ooh, I know!"

"They want to get you back to have the power of a Jinchuuriki bolstering their forces, Naruto."

Yugito, having just spoken, scratched her knee contentedly. She was laying on a branch above aforementioned boy, directly in a shaft of sunlight.

A small cocoon of sand was hanging from a tree, looking for all the world like a giant bee hive. A hole opened up. "I concur." Before it could close, Fuu slipped into the hole, giggling. Naruto shook his head, grinning. How the quietest member of the group and the loudest gravitated towards each other, he didn't know.

Karyuu suddendly appeared, doing what he called 'spitting a sick beat'. He beat boxed alone for a few second until he was joined by the black youth with cornrows.

"We all know the what's true, now that you're gone they're feelin' blue, now all remains is what to chooooooooooose!"

He dodged sixteen kunai from an irate Yugito and a Fuuma Shuriken from Naruto. Everyone looked at Gaara's cocoon, which just wiggled in response.

"Cut it out in there!" Karyuu threw a rock at said cocoon, causing it to wiggle more.

Naruto chuckled at the boy dodged sand. He pet the crow on his shoulder, feeding it a grub rooted from the ground next to him. The bird nuzzled it's head against his chin, red Sharingan eyes slightly whirling.

"We'll go." Naruto blinked, and continued. "After all, a vacation would be...enjoyable."

* * *

Author's Notes: Delivered on time, as promised. If you didn't catch it, Karyuu is an OC. He'll be explained later, obviously. As always, comments are greatly appreciated. Your input always is a great motivation.

If you guys want, I'll start translating the techniques into Japanese, but let me know, otherwise I'll keep it in english, as it's easier for me. Enjoy.

Feral Smile (oh, and if you have an Android enabled phone with the WWII app by Storm03 or whatever it is, add me to your allies! Code is G3U9J9.)


	3. Kyuubi no Jinchuuriki

KitsuneNibi - Yes, and you're about to meet him, however briefly.

Naginator - You missed a key 'two weeks earlier' note.

Remember that while I'm keeping most of the Jinchuuriki and Bijuu standard with the manga, such as Fu and Killer Bee, but others (such as my OC Karyuu) will change. Different Jinchuuriki, Different Bijuu, or both.

* * *

The mahogany gates loomed before the seven friends. Ninja stood atop ostentatious towers, watching them openly. They had foregone their black cloaks and silver facemasks, instead traveling in their own personalized gear. Naruto, clad in dark crimson and black, scowled darkly. Fuu glanced at him worriedly, and put a hand on his arm. Yugito, standing behind him, placed her hand on the small of his back. He smiled at their support, and raised his eyes to the gate. He gestured at it briefly with an unspoken technique, and it opened slowly. Startled ninja scurried out of the way, and tried to form up.

Without warning, the metal bar holding the gate slipped back and it started to creep open. Tsutomu Mikimaru jumped out of the way. As one of the failed Genin, he was assigned a D rank mission to greet the spectators for the Chuunin exams. When he saw the group, his breathe caught in his throat, and his eyes went wide. They _looked_ powerful. They were so different from each other, but so obviously unified. He examined them each in turn as they approached.

The first he noticed was a large black teenager. His hair was held back in corn rows, but went beyond the nape of his neck, each row turning into a small ponytail. He wore relatively heavy armor for a ninja, though it was skin tight. It was obviously reinforced with some sort of metal, and was a deep purple and off white. He was wearing aviator sunglasses, and was grinning wide. As Mikimaru watched, he punched a nearby friend, who was slightly taller and much skinnier. This boy had spikey red hair and an angular face. He was also grinning, and absently kicked a stone as he walked. This boy wore dark grey pants and a mesh black shirt, showing off a skinny but toned torso. He also had sparse red facial hair.

Mikimaru looked to the other side of the group advancing. There he found a boy wearing brown and tan clothing, with dark red shoulder length hair. He had teal eyes. His face was dark in expression, and he shifted the gourde on his back slowly. Next to him stood a very slight girl with teal hair and red eyes. She was smiling sweetly, and beaming up at what appeared to be their leader. His hair was spikey blond with crimson, and his face as accentuated with gleaming whisker marks. His eyes were steel blue. A shadow shifted behind him and he noticed a slightly darker blond girl standing in his shadow, with her arm on his back. She looked very exotic.

As the group passed him, he tried to greet them. A murderous glare from the closest teenager quelled the hail in his throat. He swallowed thickly as Gaara reverted his gaze forward. There was a loud popping noise, and the girl with teal hair jumped into the air and shot her hand up, snatching something from the air. Sand rose from the hole and wrapped around her waist. She put the cork she had caught into her back pocket, and let the sand pull her almost flush with the frightening boy.

"You didn't have to scare him so badly, sandman." Fuu pinched his side in slight reprimand.

He scowled, his relented when she leaned in and bit him on the ear playfully. Sand covered them both, forming a sphere, which levitated off the ground. A tendril of the substance wrapped around Naruto's belt, who looked disinterestedly at the giant orb he was now leading. Spurred on by her teammates, Yugito slipped her hand under his shirt onto the bare skin of his back. She lightly raked her nails over his skin, setting gooseflesh. He growled low in his throat, and blinked slowly.

Next to them, a trinket on Killer Bee's belt jingled. It was small moon pendant. It glowed white for a moment, then out of it exploded white smoke, partially obscuring the black teen for a moment. When it cleared a girl with black hair and lavender eyes was in his arms. He carried her bridal style as if he thought nothing of it, continuing to chat with his Karyuu about rhyme patterns. She yawned and pawed at his chest, turning over and sticking her face into the crook of his arm. Killer Bee looked down at her and smiled briefly, before turning and continuing his conversation.

In the distance loomed the Hokage Monument. Naruto scowled, and spoke. "I'm going to tell the Hokage that we've arrived. Find a high class hotel, we're going to indulge ourselves."

Distracted by the second statement, the group didn't question his leaving. Yugito dragged one nail down his back, letting it sink into his skin, drawing blood as he turned and left the group. The wound had healed by the time he felt the sting, but he made an annoyed gesture nonetheless. Not fooled, she made a cat noise and left to catch up with the group.

He snorted, but regained his composure as he remembered where he was going. Naruto walked through the streets alone. He remembered somewhat as a child as they used to scowl at him, throw curses, and call him demon. They didn't look any happier that he was gone. Nor did they recognize him. Their gazes lingered only because he intimidated them. He knew the effect he had on people. It wasn't something he could help. Making your first kill at the age of nine can do that to you. Still, he reasoned, it could be worse. Fuu made her first kill at four years old, and she wasn't even in Partial Form. Naruto remembered when she told the group of her kill, the man housing her would try to touch her, and she'd run away. Finally, one night he cornered her, but as he reached for her, she stabbed him with a kitchen knife. Then she ripped out his throat with her bare hands. That was, she said, the first time she had met the Shichibi: after her kill. Two nights later, Itachi had taken her from her holding cell.

Naruto let his powerful eyes drift to the secretary of the Hokage. She didn't look up. "Name, and purpose for requested audience?"

He paused. "Kyuubi no Jinchuuriki."

Her head snapped up, and she froze. He smelled her coppery fear, and shook his head slightly. He opened the door to the Hokage's office, and stepped inside.

There, he found a man clothed in white robes with red fire, in a matching hat. There were two others as well, the silver haired ninja he had spoken to days previously, and a boy near his age with dark hair and black eyes. Naruto recognized the Uchiha crest on his shirt with some amusement. It figures he'd meet Itachi's legacy.

The three people in the room were looking at him now, two in wonder and one with apprehension. Sasuke wondered who he was and why he was here. Jiraiya was in wonder at how similar he looked to Minato. Kakashi was worried. This kid was at least his level, and he can't have been older than fifteen or sixteen.

"Uzumaki Naruto..." Jiraiya stood, and smiled. "Welcome home."

Naruto narrowed his eyes with displeasure. "Kyuubi no Jinchuuriki," He corrected, "And this isn't my home."

Jiraiya regained his composure quickly. _Did he really just label himself as the Kyuubi's Container?_

"Kakashi, you can go. Good luck tomorrow, Sasuke."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama. Let's go, Sasuke."

The Uchiha kid, however was intrigued. "Jinchuuriki?"

Naruto eyed the boy. "It means Human Sacrifice. I was chosen to forfeit a life worth living to save countless innocent lives. Begone, Uchiha Sasuke, brother-of-my-brother."

Kakashi dragged the boy into the hall before he could interrogate Naruto of his meaning. The door closed, and Jiraiya spoke immediately.

"I'm so sorry, Naruto. Your father would be so ashamed of Konoha."

"I'm not overly concerned with what Minato thinks or does not think of Konoha."

"You know?" Jiraiya hadn't expected this.

Naruto laughed. "Of course, there are no secrets from the Ninth."

The Hokage sat behind his desk, and gestured Naruto to do the same across from him. "The Ninth?"

"Yes, of nine." Naruto sat, steepling his fingers and crossing his legs. "I am the strongest, harboring the greatest burden. They look to me for leadership."

"And the others? Aren't there some who have been ninja longer than you?" He consulted his notes. "I take it Killer Bee is a part of this group? He was a Genin before you were even taken."

Naruto scowled again. "It's instinctual. You, as a mortal, wouldn't understand."

"A mortal?" The Hokage questioned. "Does the Kyuubi extend your life?"

"Yes." He looked down, as if considering his next words. "If not killed, I will live roughly nine hundred years. Give or take twenty here or there due to bad habits."

"Nine hundred years?" Jiraiya was slightly awestruck. "How do you know?"

"I've been speaking to the Kyuubi since age nine."

Jiraiya held himself back from launching himself at the boy with some difficulty. Had the seal weakened?

"Yes." Naruto looked him straight in the eyes, and only then did Jiraiya notice the red rimming the very center black of his eye. The red was surrounded by cold, unrelenting blue. As he watched, tendrils of red wove through the blue at random, but were quickly suppressed. "You could say my seal weakened."

He stood. "I know you intend to try to get me to return to the leaf. In case you consider force, remember that every second of every day, I wrestle with the will of a demon. If you believe you have any ninja that can match his fury _and_ mine, you're welcome to give me their life."

Naruto turned and left.

The Hokage left out a slow breath. _Oh God, Minato...I'm so very sorry...what do I do here...?_

_

* * *

_

Yugito paced her room restlessly. What was taking him so long? How long does it take to walk in, say 'We're here.' and leave? She loosened her black and blue vest, and shrugged it off. She also removed her gloves and boots. Finally, bare handed and bare footed, she removed her shirt, leaving on only a chain mail mesh shirt and under that, a breast band. Her leather wristbands caught in her hair as she untied it.

When her door opened, the man entering was caught in a hook kick and landed heavily on his back on the ground. She pounced on him, pinning his arms above his head, and sitting on his hips. "Fool."

He raised one eyebrow, fighting to keep a straight face. She bit him on the nose. Hard. "Ouch!"

"I was bored!" She bit his cheek, and then his chin, nearly drawing blood both times. "I rely on you to keep me entertained you bastard!"

His arms flexed and were around her. She felt a thrill at her own immense strength being so easily overpowered, and felt muscle tighten around her. A rumbling started from her chest, and she looked up sweetly at him as he stood, her feet ending up four inches off the ground. He crushed her lips with his, and threw her to the bed, where she landed somehow on all fours. She rose to a crouch as he spoke.

"I would hate to keep you bored then." And then the girl flew at him.

* * *

Fuu giggled at the sounds of battle from the next room over. She looked at Gaara, who was standing on the balcony, watching the people on the street blow. The girl walked up to him and wrapped her arms around him. "Don't worry, my little murderer. They're meaningless."

He gazed at the civilians with longing. "They're arguing about what to eat. What to wear."

"We do the same."

"But that's their _biggest_ worry." He looked at her, tortured. "I can't remember the last time I slept."

"That's because you were asleep, idiot." She caressed his face. "You slept six days ago."

"I did?"

"Yes, love."

"Okay."

* * *

Aisu glanced at the darkening sky outside. She was in a good mood.

_**What moon phase tonight?**_

_Don't worry about it, Wolf. We have to be obedient here in this place, so I have to be with her or else you'll... _The voice died down in her mind.

_**Worthless pet. Girl, we're hungry. When can we hunt?**_

She ignored the voices in her mind, as usual, and bit her index finger, drawing blood. The black haired girl drew an intricate and complex seal on the wall from memory, then closed her eyes, and leaned into it. Both seal and girl vanished in smoke. In the next room, Killer Bee's moon pendant glowed slightly and warmed to his touch. But then he was all business. His brows furrowed as he tried to think of a word to rhyme with 'Precocious'.

* * *

As these things were happening, the Hokage was plotting. Specifically, he was plotting ways to get his godson to return to the leaf. He had to fix the mistakes of Leaf Village. He knew that unless the village changed Naruto's world views, he would most likely leave again when the exams were over. After all, he had no reason to stay. Jiraiya snapped his fingers. Of course. All he needed to do was give Naruto a reason to stay. He sorted through Shinobi rosters. It had to be someone strong enough to earn his respect, but someone kind enough to win his heart. He toyed with the idea of Anko, but discarded it. He then realized he was looking in the wrong place. He mentally flipped through the AnBu roster, as there was actually no such thing. His eyes wandered the room as he realized he didn't have a single candidate to woo the boy.

Fifty years of battle experience had honed his perceptions and reflexes, which had only just started to degrade with his age. For this reason, when the shadow appeared next to his book shelf, there were already three kunai on the way. There were three small 'pop's ad the kunai vanished, and the shadow noted dryly,

"Assaulting visitors isn't very nice."

Jiraiya scratched the back of his head, but his eyes were deadly. "I assume you have an excuse why my AnBu aren't here?"

"Of course." _Fuck, he killed them...silently. _"I did lead the corps for several years."

The shock that they weren't dead was quickly overshadowed by shock at the mans identity. "Uchiha Itachi."

"Of course, _Hokage-sama_. I am here to report."

"You are a missing-nin, it is my duty to take you into custody."

"Immaterial. I acted under orders of the Sandaime Hokage."

"What?"

"The first SSS class mission ever offered by Konoha." His eyes hardened. "Slaughter my family, kidnap the demon child, and raise him as my own."

"_You_ took Naruto?" Anger flared. "You're the reason my godson is so fucked?"

"Fucked?" Itachi scowled. "Had he stayed in Konoha, he'd have less than a quarter of the power he commands right now."

"You said you were acting on the orders of the Hokage. Explain."

Jiraiya had settled into a normal stance. He knew Itachi was an S class, but he was a Sannin. He took special care to avert his eyes , but sharpened his focus on hearing and peripheral vision.

"About ten years ago, the Sandaime Hokage offered me a mission to take out the disloyal Uchiha. He also asked me to take Naruto-kun to spare him from the hate of the villagers. So he may become powerful, and repel the group Akatsuki when they begin their conquest. Thanks to this group of Jinchuuriki I've assembled, only five members remain."

"Sarutobi gave you this mission?" Jiraiya gripped his desk. The words rang with truth. "Then why are you pursued by the hunters?"

"I'm not. S-class, remember?" Itachi smirked. "I have a 'flee-on-sight' status. It's because Sarutobi-"

"Couldn't allow himself to be connected with the massacre." Jiraiya frowned. "Is that what it means to be Hokage? To kill people who don't agree with your views?"

Itachi's face was blank. "No. It is the responsibility of the Hokage to protect it from any threat, external...or internal."

The Hokage nodded. "Am I to understand you're loyal to Konoha?"

"...Yes." Itachi looked down. "In order to prolong Konoha's wellbeing, I did not raise him to venerate it from the other village. The group I advise feel themselves to be above village politics and affairs. They do not tie themselves to any figure."

"If you're loyal to Konoha," Jiraiya paused. "Could you convince Naruto to return here?"

"Probably." Itachi narrowed his eyes. "However, I will do anything in my power to assure Naruto's independence. This mission cannot be aborted, as decreed by the Sandaime. I will follow your commands to an extent that they will not interfere with my mission."

"...I understand." Jiraiya paused. "I cannot reinstate you as a Konoha Shinobi until you prove yourself not only to me but to Konoha itself. Even if I trusted you, and reinstated you now, I'd be torn apart from shinobi and the council."

"I know."

"You are dismissed."

"Hai, Hokage-sama."

* * *

Author's Notes: Don't have a beta reader and don't *much* want one, but if anyone is especially interested, it could be helpful. There are errors, I'm sure, so please point them out. If they're part of the plot I'll ignore you, if not I'll do my best to rectify the mistake. If I haven't already said, Naruto and the Konoha Genin would be about 15 in this story. They spent some extra time as Genin, so sue me.

Comment and review! Motivation incarnate! No, I won't hold chapters hostage, but I like to give people a chance to give me their input if I already have the next one partially or fully done. It will ALWAYS be at least two days before I update, and sometimes significantly longer. I write, wait a day to let it set, and then look over, edit, and add on a bit.

Feral Smile


	4. Family Reunion

Naginator: Afraid you'll have to wait for that one.

Imperialpatty: I noticed that problem on my first chapter. I usually seperate scenes with a line break and dash, but I noticed when I uploaded it, the dashes vanish. So I added the dashes in last chapter manually, but they still disappeared...so here are manual breaks for you ^_^

Tristan76: Thanks for the compliment ^_^

And thank you everyone else for reviewing! Honestly without them I don't think I would have written this one yes...which I just did...like...moments ago. I re-read and edited it right away, so there will be some errors. Notify me via review and I'll try to fix them. But, back to thanking you - seriously I really didn't feel good about writing tonight, but I read Tristan76's comment and I was...well, the spark ignited a flame. =)

* * *

"Uchiha Chiemi verses Hyuuga Hanabi."

The stadium was packed with thousands of spectators, all gathered to measure the skill and power of the Elemental Nations. These matches weren't about promotions, or to celebrate. They were a deadly serious contest of skill and strife designed to test the villages against each other to measure strength. The most impressive nations get the bigger contracts, and can charge more per mission, making their business boom and therefore better provide for its citizens and enhance their ninja still farther. But it also served as a deterrent. If your ninja overwhelm another countries ninja in the exams, it stands to reason their Chuunin and Jounin aren't on the same level either, making them a target. But why take over their resources and deal with their government and your own losses when you can simply take their business and cut off their economy? In short, this tournament was a replacement for war.

The Uchiha girl had short fanned out hair, with the typical black Uchiha eyes. She wore a dark blue kimono with the clan crest on the back, hiding any weaponry she might have. She was perhaps 5'1", and was very skinny. Her nails were painted black. She once again thanked the Accelerated Shinobi Program for her to even be a Genin. After the assassination of the Sandaime, many ninja were lost, including almost an entire academy class. The remnants of that class were accelerated by Chuunin instructors to graduate with the graduating class. Her opponent had taken advantage of the same opportunity.

Hanabi was both similar and opposite of the Chiemi. She wore light garments with fish net extensions, carried only six kunai and four shuriken, and was barefoot. Her hair was long, but as she stared down the Uchiha in front of her she pinned up her hair. Her white eyes glared into the black of the Uchiha's. She smirked. There was no way she could lose, her blood was pure and superior. The smirk faded as she was bathed in shadow. She ignored it, as she could not be made to get distracted now.

"Begin."

The Sharingan and Byakugan activated simultaneously, and the Uchiha shot at Hanabi. The girl waited. And waited. At the last possible moment, she pivoted her body and struck out and low. Only the Sharingan saved Chiemi from a chakra spike in the solar plexus, and allowed her to attack again, kicking out Hanabi's ankle and making the girl spread her legs, wobbling ungainly. She quickly followed up with a snap kick to the Hyuuga's chest, sending her back several feet and making her fall. Chiemi jumped into the air, and started to come down on the girl. She spoke, "Fire Element: Grand Fireball Technique!"

A great ball of fire easily the same size as Chiemi blossomed and enveloped the Hyuuga. Or where the Hyuuga had been moments previously. She skidded to a halt several meters off, breathing heavily. Chiemi landed and looked at her, calculating.

"It's over." Hanabi's voice was devoid of emotion. "You're in my Devine Path."

Chiemi smirked. "More Hyuuga high-and-mighty talk, huh?"

She was cut short as Hanabi fell into a strange stance, and shot forward. Chiemi attempted to dodge but was met with open palms as she was driven straight back. The Hyuuga suddenly lashed out with a bare foot in a slashing motion, striking several Chakra Points and sealed them instantly. She continued until almost all the points were closed and Chiemi was near the edge of the arena. Hanabi finally jumped, spinning, and snapped both of her feet out together, hitting Chiemi in the chest and sending her flying backwards, falling to the side as she spiraled slightly. The Hyuuga landed on all fours with all the grace of a cat, and finally allowed herself to widen her Byakugan's perception. She gasped at the blinding chakra from what appeared to be a floating platform opposite the Kage's Box. She could hardly see the figures for the light surrounding them. One, a blond girl, was smirking as a large black teenager handed her some money. The girl had a blond boy between her legs as she sat on his shoulders. He himself was sitting crosslegged on the platform of sand. Her eyes alighted on the girl massaging Killer Bee, however. She had black Hyuuga hair. Lavender Hyuuga eyes. There was no cursed seal, but there was a design on her forehead that wrapped around her face and down her arms. It appeared to be celtic, and while it hummed with chakra, it looked like no seal the girl had ever seen before. A chuckling in front of her made her refocus on Chiemi, who was attempting to stand.

"Hehe..." She spat out blood. "For all your pressure points, you still never took out the chakra to my eyes..."

She looked the Hyuuga dead in the eye, both tomoes in each eye spinning rapidly.

Hyuuga Hanabi raised her hand, looking at the proctor. She looked confused. The proctor sighed and asked her, "Do you want to forfeit?"

The girl nodded weakly. "Winner, Uchiha Chiemi!"

Sasuke grinned from the competitor box. His cousin had done well. He looked at his other relatives in the stands, all his age or younger, and they all made flicking motions with their thumbs - a personal Uchiha gesture. He raised his hand a flicked his thumb like he was lighting a flame, grinning all the while.

Hiashi's eyes were narrowed. His daughter shouldn't have let her guard down like that. No mercy. He looked down at the girl seated in front of him and scoffed silently. Hinata. What a weak girl. She was still fiddling with her headband, the fresh curse seal still new to her.

* * *

"Naruto..." Yugito said sweetly, handing Killer Bee his money back.

He tilted his head, somehow apprehensively. "...yes?" He said with slight trepidation.

"Do you have some spare money..." She purred against his neck and head. "I'll pay you back..."

He sighed and looked plaintively at Aisu. The lavender-eyed girl simply drew a design in the sand and pressed her hand to it. The money appeared in front of Naruto, who inclined his head in thanks.

"Such a handy girl to have around," Killer Bee said fondly. "My affection for thee is quite profound."

She giggled and swiftly did a hand stand on his shoulders, completely vertical for a breath before collasping in his lap. "If one more rhyme comes from within your lung, I'll sit here and happily cut out your tongue."

He paled.

* * *

"Sarutobi Konohamaru verses Sabaku no Temari."

* * *

"Ouch. He looks really young. And isn't that your older sister, Gaara? She's got to have at least three or four years on him..." Karyuu shook his head.

Gaara's eyes narrowed. Family was here. He felt tension in his shoulders, before a clod of sand hit him in the ear. His sand defenses raised halfheartedly, but much to his chagrin, it almost seemed to 'let' the girl do things like this. He sighed, and refocused on the match.

* * *

The legacy of the Sandaime Hokage looked at the much older girl. This was going to be a tough fight. There was no way he could win, and he knew it. He had to beat her with his mind, not his fists. He thought of a plan and almost could suppress a smile.

Temari sighed. A child was facing her. It almost wasn't fair. He still had baby fat for crying out loud! She left her fan closed and settled into a defensive Taijutsu stance. It wouldn't do for her to underestimate even him.

As the match began, she quickly gained the upper hand, hitting him repeatedly, scoring heavy blows and finally knocking him to the side, where he stood shakily. He charged at her once more, and she sighed. But where she had easily hit him before now he dodged better, more quickly. She landed a shattering kick to his ribcage, but the moment before it hit he was replaced with a log. The boy charged at her from the side and she hit him. He fell behind a tree and was partially obscured for a moment before he reemerged, her third teammate in front of him. He had a kunai to the sand nin's throat. "Forfeit or your friend dies."

Temari only smirked. "Nice try, but two problems. First, my teammate is right up there," She pointed to the stands, where her teammate was indeed unharmed. "Secondly, that clone of yours is a academy level Genjutsu."

She laid a spread of kunai through both figures, but the kunai sank through. "What the heck?"

"SUMMONING TECHNIQUE!"

She felt herself thrown forward by the extreme Taijutsu of some unseen adversary, and as she turned in midair and attempted to bat the foe away, she was met with a monkey. The creature lashed out at her with hands feet and tail, finally blowing her into a wall. She stood, and flipped open her fan.

"I was trained by my father, the Hokage himself." Konohamaru fell from the sky above her, chakra spinning in his hand. "And also by the current Hokage, the Toad-Sannin!"

As she blew him away with a blast of concentrated air with her fan, a monkey palm hit her in the temple, and just like that, the world went black. Konohamaru flipped in the air and landed on his feet, several meters behind his monkey friend. "Thanks for your help, friend."

"Anytime, Little-Hokage!"

"WINNER: SARUTOBI KONOHAMARU!"

* * *

The Jinchuuriki watched amusedly. "Well that was unexpected. He knows the summoning technique."

Naruto smirked at Aisu's remark. "He was trained by two seperate Hokage's. If that's all he has up his sleeve I'll be very surprised."

"..." The girl said nothing.

* * *

"What a remarkable child, Hokage-sama. Your apprentice?" The Kazekage asked politely.

"Of course, Kazekage-dono." Jiraiya shifted his hat. "I took care of him after his father died. He's one tough kid."

_What are you up to, Orochimaru?_ The toad Hokage pondered, scratching a wart on his hand, a remnant of his sage training.

"Keep an eye on this next Genin," The disguised snake said, "I think you'll find him to be quite a...blast..."

* * *

Uchiha Sasuke and Hitoman Deira stood across from each other. One boy hand dark blond hair, pulled back in a ponytail. He wore black eye shadow, and his hands were in his pockets. _How annoying to be a kid...yeah._

"Begin!"

Sasuke threw himself into the air, sailing high above the other 'Genin' as he sealed. He twisted his body, and spoke. "Fire Element: Entrapment Technique!"

Fire sprouted from his back and curled around, trapping the other child. Sasuke smirked as he readied his newest technique. "CHIDORI!"

Deira couldn't dodge. He luckily had clay in his mouth as a precaution and signed quickly as the boy descended, much quicker than any Genin should. A ball erupted from his mouth and shot at the Uchiha, whose Chidori would surely cut through it. It denoted before he had reached though, blasting him off target and away. The audience gasped as Deidara, now Genjutsu-free thanks to the explosion, stuck his hands back into his pouch pockets.

"How's everyone doing, yeah?"

* * *

The Kage box was in uproar as the Kazekage moved, swiftly pinning his old teammate to the ground as a barrier began to form around them. A weighted kunai snatched his blue hat from his head and pinned it to the wall before the barrier could complete, but he was unharmed. He grinned down at Jiraiya, his face peeling away.

* * *

Meanwhile, Deidara turned and looked up at the platform. "Shit...yeah..."

One by one, demonic chakra's ignited, each more sinister and more suffocating than the last.

* * *

A tall blue man with a face like a shark grinned as he stepped into the Academy classroom, Samehada behind him shaving a large chunk from the door as he walked in. The teacher turned towards him and started sealing, but with a flick of his wrist Samehada ripped the Chuunin's torso open, exposing his organs to the terrified class in front of him. "Today, little chums, we will be studying anatomy. Who wants to demonstrate?"

* * *

AnBu surrounded the purple containment field as the two ex-friends fought, battering it with techniques and trying to think of a way through it. Three of them were killed in an instant by a huge blast of wind-enhanced fire. Kakuzu landed heavily, masks formed on his back, and cocked his head at them.

Hitake Kakashi shot behind him, Sharingan swirling and Chidori screeching. He was redirected by the blunt end of a scythe, however, and winced as he felt his wrist snap from the blow. He looked at his attacker, and first noticed a gigantic three bladed scythe. "Jashin-sama..."

He set his wrist with a sickening crack, and summoned his hounds. He nearly was cleaved in two when the same scythe came whoosing out of the sky next to him, nearly obliterating his summons.

"You're time here is finished, Copy Cat Kakashi." Hidan laughed. "Jashin will be very pleased with your death!"

* * *

Orochimaru laughed as the third coffin opened, and Namikaze Minato stepped out. He blinked several times. "Well this is unexpected."

"Kill him!" Minato turned to the Sannin, and raised his eyebrow.

Jiraiya had fear in his eyes. He closed his eyes and felt the natural chakra surround him. "You must die, Orochi-teme."

He sped forward with the enhanced speed of sage mode and hit Orochimaru in the stomach, breaking his ribs and sending him flying. Minato disappeared and reappeared with Orochimaru in his arms.

"I'm sorry, sensei. I can't seem to control my actions." The man who had sacrificed his life to Konoha took a step towards Jiraiya, letting the Snake Sannin drop. "I'm very sorry."

The three Hokage's attacked Jiraiya as one, but sage mode kept him one step ahead of them. Except for Minato, who always seemed to be there when he dodged. He raised his bruised head to look at his partner. "How could you raise him? The man who gave his life to protect this place?"

"Ridiculous ideals! When Akatsuki has all the Bijuu, Konoha will cease to exist, as will all the hidden villages." He laughed. "You can never be free following such a place, never be allowed to reach your potential!"

"You're a fool!" Jiraiya growled, dodging a large tree. "Even if we can't stop you, Naruto's group will!"

Minato froze. _Naruto?_ He frowned. _My son?_

"Naruto-kun is nothing, as soon as we capture him and extract the Kyuubi, he will die and fall a useless shell, just like the shells he's destroyed. Sasori, Konan, Zetsu, all pathetic."

_He will die and fall as useless shell._

Minato's eye twitched as he punched the Toad Sannin in the chest and sent him flying onto a block of wood, which wove around his arms. It was a useless gesture, and the Sannin/Hokage shattered them and stepped out, sage mode flaring his chakra.

Orochimaru pointed at the Hokage. "Use your Hiraishin!"

Minato was suddenly behind Jiraiya. "...My...son.."

_He will die and fall a useless shell._

He stabbed a modified kunai into Jiraiya spine. Sage mode cut out as, with horror, Jiraiya felt his waist and legs go numb.

* * *

Karyuu pulled his arm out of the Akatsuki member's chest with a sickening suction noise. Deidara had stood no chance. The Jinchuuriki stood, his fellows at his back, and felt another presence in front of them.

"Lovely, a new chew toy." Aisu's eyes were light blue. **"Let's play, my prey."**

Killer Bee pouted. "She gets to rhyme without taking a hit? This whole deal is just plain shit."

Fuu grinned at him. She sank into the earth as if it were water. Immediately the felt it...the tremors that same from many people screaming. She navigated towards the noise.

* * *

Kisame watched in rapt fascination as his sword shuddered happily and seemed to absorb the blood on the blade. He looked down at the last child, huddled in the corner, crying. The girl had her hair up in the new style, probably to impress some boy. He laughed, and leveled Samehada at her. "You had no idea what being a ninja was like, did you?"

He twirled and swung Samehada at the new threat that had suddenly appeared behind him. He sidestepped a kunai that narrowly missed the academy student behind him. "You're a bit late, protector of the small...all of these squished so easily..."

Fuu's eyes melted into black blobs as they separated into compound eyes. She blasted him with an air technique and he squinted through the harmless air to see her glowing with demonic chakra. **"YOU SON OF A BITCH, I'll MASSACRE YOU!"**

Kisame's eye went wide. He hadn't felt any chakra move, so why did he suddenly have a pain in his back? He noted tiredly that the air around him was saturated with chakra. Maybe that was why. He was so tired...maybe it's time for a nap...he felt the kunai in his back wrench, pull out, and stabbed again. He felt a warm sensation in his chest as endorphins were released. He fought back an urge to laugh giddily. What was wrong with him? He raised his arm weakly to fend off a blade of chakra from Fu, but both actions were superfluous, because he keeled over, the crying academy girl on his back, kunai still deep in his heart. Tears fell on the blue man as the girl struggled to pull the weapon free, and she stabbed him again, and again. Fu's demon quieted as she observed. She took a step towards the girl. The girl looked at her wildly and brandished the kunai. The hyperactive Jinchuuriki simply pushed the blade away and allowed the girl to latch on to her in a tight hug, crying uncontrollably.

* * *

Kakashi's eye spun rapidly as he watched the ashen skinned reaper draw designs in the dust. He clutched his bleeding arm and fell to his knees. The man he was watching lifted his head to the sky, and grinned. "FOR YOU, JASHIN-SAMA!" He looked directly into Kakashi's eyes, and stabbed himself in the chest.

All at once, an overwhelming pain sent his mind reeling. He felt himself falling, falling, falling.

Back in the real world, his scythe was still raised, about to fall into his chest. A bead of sweat rolled down Kakashi's temple. He concentrated his chakra into his eye, and watched as Hidan regained his body. He was confused for a second, but that's all Kakashi needed. The image of Hidan started to distort in front of him, and he watched as the scythe fell, but it was too late. With a small 'pop', Hidan was gone.

He clutched his arm as he stood, but he was suddenly dizzy. He swayed on the spot, and noticed how warm his chest was. He placed a hand there and it squished with blood. Not quite 'too late', then. He fell face first into the ground.

* * *

Five demonically enhanced teenagers slammed against the barrier, making it shake and it's power fluctuate. The guardians tensed, chakra unstable and uneven.

"Jesus, they just did that with raw power!"

Naruto calculated briefly. He saw Jiraiya, with a figure behind him. He saw the two other people he identified as the Hokage's, and saw the Snake Sannin grinning. This was bad. He refocused on the man who had managed to flank Jiraiya. The blond hair was familiar. So were the blue eyes. He narrowed his own dark eyes. "You dare..."

He gathered his chakra, and sent a spike into the barrier again, but making no more progress than the last. He saw the kunai in the Yondaime's hand. He saw the design on it. It was a seal.

"AISU!" He yelled. He turned, and she was still engaging an cloaked Akatsuki. **"AISU!"**

With the infusion of his demonic chakra, she looked at him. She flew at him, while two of his Jinchuuriki shot down to take her place. When she landed next to him he pointed at the kunai. "What is that seal?"

She looked at it for maybe half a second. Then, she did a double take. Demonic chakra was lifting from her as she assumed her professor voice. "It's a modified reverse summoning seal. It also has sensory seals around it, along with a bit of infused chakra."

"Can you summon me to it?"

"..." She thought. Aisu dropped to the ground and drew quickly in the cement with a kunai, scratching hurried lines and gouges. She scribbled something out, then stood. "Give me your arm."

He did just that, and faster than he could react, she cut an amazingly intricate design on his arm.

"Good luck." She pressed her thumb into the quarter sized seal, and he was gone.

He felt everything. He knew where everyone was, how they were standing. He knew there was no heartbeat in Minato's body. That the kunai was embedded in Jiraiya's spine. That Orochimaru had a sword in his gut. And then he was behind Minato, his own personal brand of kunai against his neck.

"Hello, father." He raked the serrated edge across his father's throat.


	5. Anguish

Imperialpatty - Even if you're a Green Barett deep in enemy territory, if you turn your back, even on a child, you can get killed. All it takes is one single movement, and you're dead. I think people make shinobi too godlike. A knife to the heart, dead. It doesn't matter if that's from a Kage or an Academy student. But anyhow - you'll see.

* * *

The girl that had latched on to her was soaking her stomach, and the blood from the slaughtered children reeked. Fuu combed a hand through the little girls hair, and quieted her.

"It's okay, little ninja." The girl sniffed and hiccupped as Fuu dropped to look her in the eye. "It's over now."

As soon as the words left her mouth, she regretted them. Deep within, she felt the chakra gathering in front of her, behind the girl. "Run to your fallout shelter, okay?"

The girl blinked, and wiped her eyes. "C-can't I s-stay with y-you?"

Fuu wiped a tear from her cheek. "Sorry honey, I'm about to make sushi, and the knives could hurt you."

The academy student blinked in confusion, but turned and ran. Fuu silently thanked her as she first rose to her full height and then dropped into a fighting stance. She felt the familiar flicking sensation that came with gathering tails of power. Fuu grinned ferally at the now-standing Kisame.

"A ninja of your caliber taken out by an academy student?" She smirked. "Pathetic."

Kisame privately agreed. He felt is heart pumping raggedly and weakly in his chest, and knew this had to be quick. He noted to himself that even someone as powerful as himself is slave to overconfidence. He grinned, but decided against mind games. It would take too long. He gathered himself, and charged at the Jinchuuriki.

Fuu countered him easily. With his grave injury, his blows were neither as quick nor as hard as normal. She dove into the main aisle, and grinned when he took the fake opening. As he lunged for her legs, she scissored them, catching his blade and sending it flying into the wall. She rose. Fuu flicked several kunai at the man faster than the eye could track, but he wove between them and brought his fingers to his lips. "Water Element: Black Ice Technique!"

The ground under her was suddenly slippery. Even standing still, the tension on her shoes gave out and she fell. Kisame kicked her hard in the face only for her to burst into white smoke. And there was that familiar pain again, right where it had been previously. "Seriously? Twice in one fight?"

She kneed him in the spine, and he fell to his knees on the ice. "You're such a shit shinobi that you deserve this death."

Fuu kicked him in the back of the head so hard his neck snapped. As he slumped to the floor and slid down the dark ice ramp he had created, the body started to lose its blue tint. The hair turned slowly black, and got longer. The Jinchuuriki cursed.

* * *

The renowned copy cat ninja lay in the dirt, too tired to even move. His chest didn't hurt, in fact he felt pretty good. The endorphins running through his system made him relax. Dying couldn't be so bad, if this is what it felt like. He sighed, eyes blinking slowly. He heard screaming, some high pitched noise, but it was distant and irrelevant. He felt the hands on his body, shaking him, then turning him over. The hands were amazingly warm. He suddenly was very cold. Kakashi would have shivered, had he the energy. A green haze covered his skin, but even he knew it was too late. He turned away from the lights around him, and embraced the darkness.

* * *

Karyuu and Killer Bee stood across from a child clothed in a black robe with red and white clouds. The child had light brown hair, bordering on blonde, and it was tamed down and brushed. His face had baby fat on it, and he couldn't be older than five or six. He blinked at them. "Mother said I should hurt you."

Karyuu went down on one knee as the pain hit him, but Killer Bee was able to stay upright. It was incredible, unimaginable. He bent and clutched the earth, his vision swimming. His partner remained standing, and slowly sealed.

"Earth Element: Tomb of the Damned."

Killer Bee's chakra spiked as the child fell screaming into a recently opened hole in the ground. Earthen bars covered the hole, and a deep growling sounded as a chakra-made clone of his Bijuu fought the boy. He winced at the amount of chakra he lost, but only rubbed his head. He turned to Karyuu.

"These new Akatsuki kids aren't as tough as the original ones. Remember Sasori? Now THAT was a fight."

Karyuu threw up, and glared at him. "You forgot to rhyme."

Killer Bee gasped, and face palmed. "Damnit, I can't believe it."

His partner stood, and raised an eyebrow as the boys chakra cut out below him, and the chakra beast roared it's victory. "That verse sucked. And if Aisu hears, you're fucked."

"Say a word and I'll crush you, but if she says a word, it'll be 'shush you'."

"..." Karyuu threw up his shoes. "Fucking kid..."

* * *

Naruto shoved his father's corpse to the side, and caught Jiraiya as he fell. "Try not to move, Hokage-san."

His eyes never left Orochimaru, who's eyes were wide. "What is this?"

"You have some nerve, freak." Naruto made a hand sign. "Lightning Element: Storm."

Thunderclouds boiled overhead, flashing ominously. "You know, snake, when this barrier falls, you'll have not only myself, but six other Jinchuuriki to deal with. Might want to make it quick."

As if to punctuate his statement, a bolt of lightning struck the barrier, making it flash bright before settling. The storm cracked in a promise to deal more damage. Sudden rain soaked everyone but the interior of the barrier, and Naruto grinned. "Let's do this."

He shot at Orochimaru, only to be hit to the side by a block of wood, and then thrown into the air by a fist of water. He twisted in mid air and released a fiery technique that evaporated the water technique. He briefly landed on the wood, which burst into splinters a millisecond after he jumped off it, landed on his hands on the roof of the building, and flipped to his feet on the opposite side of the battle zone. Orochimaru was watching him. He pointed. "You're that Kyuubi kid!"

"No shit, fuckwad." Naruto sealed rapidly. "Fire Element: Scorching Winds!"

He released a grand fireball quickly followed by a blast of air, serving to superheat the fire, which tore through the jungle of trees like they were paper. Orochimaru jumped to the side to avoid the blow. "Yondaime, kill the boy!"

Naruto's father stood, and looked at his son disinterestedly. "Another one?"

The Jinchuuriki's eyes narrowed. "I never get to play catch with daddy and after seeing me for the first time in fourteen years, the best you can come up with is 'Another one?'...for shame."

The Yondaime's eyes widened. "N-Naruto..."

"Better." He scratched his head. "I'll save you the apologies, I'm no fool. What you did was sick and twisted, but necessary. I know all about necessary."

"Enough talk, kill him!" Orochimaru pointed at the Kyuubi container.

The former Hokage hesitated. He glanced from Naruto to Orochimaru and back again. He felt the need to obey in his head. It burned like a small inferno. He had crippled his sensei, what is so much worse with hurting his only son? His beautiful baby boy, whom he'd never even said goodbye to. The only remnant left of Kushina. In a flash, Orochimaru was dead, much to Naruto's shock.

"..." He gaped at his father, and at the man who had just died. "But..."

"Oh Naruto...I hope someday you understand," He felt the life leaving his long-dead body. "It's not about techniques or power, true power is when you leave a part of yourself behind...my part is you."

His body hit the ground, along with the other two Kages. Naruto, his eyes wide, sank to his knees. Tears formed in the corners of his eyes as the barrier technique flickered under the onslaught of lightning. His father cared about him. Loved him. He bent forward and screamed as the barrier finally gave out, AnBu quickly killing the ninja responsible. They swarmed to the Hokage. Kakuzu watched impassively, and then turned to run. As Naruto howled at the sky, Aisu sealed the Akatsuki member into a teapot. Fuu sealed Kisame's sacrifice into a scroll. The Hokage waved his AnBu away, and watched his godson mourn, fourteen years too late.

The blonde hit the ground, sending spidercracks from where he said, rocking back and forth. His hands grabbed his elbows and he screamed his pain. One by one, his teammates surrounded him, glaring at the Konoha shinobi that appeared, as if daring them to approach. Yugito knelt and put her hand to his back. His growls were darker now. His eyes, dangerous. He glared up at the Konoha nin that his father had given his life for. The ninja his normal life was sacrificed to save. Itachi was behind Naruto as well, and also laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. Sasuke growled in shock, but immediately broke the unspoken rank and went after his brother, Chidori already charging in his hands. The Hokage shouted, but it was drowned out as five Jinchuuriki moved with inhuman speed to intercept him. He found himself contorted in such a way that the back of his head was touching the bottom o his feet, and he was on his knees. Swords were at his temple, and three kunai at his throat. There were chains around his neck and ankles, and he looked into the white eyes of Yugito, one of the only not to move. The world was black and foreboding.

He was standing in the remains of Konoha, not the remains from the Akatsuki invasion, but this time, the village was totally destroyed. Ashes littered the ground. Sakura was strung up by her feet, swinging in the slight breeze. The remains of his family all along the ground, bleeding and moaning. The girl with white eyes was there, in a black cloak. She had a scythe. She raised a gaunt, pale hand, and skeletal arms reached from the earth and pinned him to the ground. The sky boiled above him, and the earth below was hard and unforgiving. She leaned close to his face, her eyes seeming to take up his whole world. "Only Itachi is keeping me from killing you right now, Uchiha-boy. Not all is as it seems. If this happens again, you will die."

And they were gone. Not only from his mind scape, but from Konoha as well. Naruto's screams still echoed from the buildings surrounding, though the boy had vanished with his friends.

* * *

The Jinchuuriki Nine did not comfort Naruto in the way one might expected to be comforted. They left him alone as he cried, tore at himself, and finally lapsed into silence. He wasn't the first to give way like this. In fact, everyone except him and Killer Bee had some kind of break down before. When they met a missing ninja trying to extract a toll to cross a gorge, he had disemboweled the man in an uncharacteristic bout of malice. Finally, when darkness fell, they made camp.

They camped at the edge of a cliff. Fuu raised natural walls for a better lookout vantage, and Naruto, speaking for the firsts time since his screams in Konoha, offered to take the first watch. Aisu unsealed the groups supplies from a scroll, including sleeping bags and even food. Karyuu clicked his fingers, flame jumping to life out of a flat stone on the ground in front of them. They bustled about the camp while Karyuu and Killer Bee picked up their now unsealed instruments and picked up a calming tone. Almost a mile below them, over the cliff, clear water flowed over the land in a deep, powerful river.

The seven containers milled about the camp as Aisu was drawing complex chakra-masking seals on the trees, stones, and ground around camp. They had learned early on that having seven people with the biggest chakra signatures in the nations attracted a fair amount of attention when not properly masked. She sat in the shadow of large tree away from most of the group. Her creator, Orochimaru, was dead. It was, she reasoned, akin to losing a father. The idea of the man as a father was darkly amusing to her, as she idly drew seals in the dirt around her. Aisu didn't remember growing up. She knew from an encounter with the snake man himself that she was nothing more than a failed experiment, an attempt to re-create the Byakugan. She had been abandoned near a village, and they had taken her in. As a baby, they had sealed the five tailed demon wolf inside her stomach. She grimaced and opened her mind to the voices.

**"About time. This mutt is annoying."**

_"At least I'm not a wild killing machine."_

_**"Shut your mouth, you sickening piece of trash."**_

Gobi no Jinchuuiki, Hakke Aisu was special. She wore a dual seal on her stomach, an attempt to make the demon easier to control. The seal filtered her demon into an obedient slave to her will, and an impossible beat unwilling to be reasoned with. They had taken on the form of a dog and a wolf. Depending on her mood, the phase of the moon, and various other factors, one had two tails and the other three. Which depended on aforementioned factors. The seal didn't work equally, however, and almost all of the time, the wolf persona owned three tails, and the dog held two. She used the dog in battle, and had complete control over up to three tails. After these, the wolf started to come out and break her control. Fortunately, she didn't lose control until the fifth tail. In which case, she became an insatiable predator. Preying on the weak, not the strong. Her demon did not zero in on the strongest enemy like most. It targeted wounded enemies first, destroying them and then engaging any other enemies primarily defensively.

When Itachi had taken her, she quickly gravitated towards Killer Bee. She had a natural skill with sealing, something Itachi had helped her with as much as possible, often raiding high security buildings to retrieve scrolls for her. A by-product of her demon the others did not share was a photographic memory. The voices of the demons in her mind serving to amuse her, she settled back into the shadow, and listened to them bicker.

* * *

Naruto looked impassively over the landscape around him, every sense honed and open. He heard the twangs of the twin instruments behind him, and noted that Karyuu's was slightly flat. The moonlight that did manage to filter through the trees was blindingly white. He idly wondered what Minato, his father, was like. If he had cared enough to overcome a reanimation seal, then surely he couldn't be the careless, impersonal figure Naruto imagined him to me, could he?

He looked down. Maybe there was something he had missed in Konoha. Maybe there was a reason his father gave his life, and Naruto's innocence, to protect it. Maybe he should go back.

The Kyuubi Jinchuuriki was interrupted by the form of Yugito. She wordlessly led him deeper into the trees. They arrived at a clearing. he turned to him, eyes hard and posture threatening. The darkness highlighted her features.

"That's enough." She poked him in the chest. "You have responsibilities. You're done moping."

"Excuse me, Nibi?" He tried to make his voice low and treatening but she was unphased by it.

"Don't act all tough to me." She poked him again, harder this time. "You have six Jinchuuriki and Itachi relying on you."

Faster than he cared to react, she spun and delivered a startlingly powerful kick to his chest. He stumbled back a few steps. "Be our leader, or I'll kill you."

His face hardened. "Charming as always."

But then he looked down. Yugito was right. It didn't matter if there was family, or loyalty, or whatever his father had seen in Konoha. His path was set, he had subordinates following him, and they expected him to be a fit leader. A strong leader, one without doubt. He looked back up at her, the old burning in his eyes as he remembered their purpose. Peace.

"But you are correct." He stepped up to her and delicately tilted her chin, and kissed her softly, inwardly marveling at the softness of her lips, and the way her body curved to fit his. Her hands were on his chest. Then, his neck. He broke the kiss reluctantly. "Now go back with the others, Nibi no Jinchuuriki."

She nodded, and retreated to the firelight. Naruto let the breathe he was holding out, and looked up at the stars, letting his other senses sharpen. Peace. It would never be around so long as people weren't unified. And when they were unified...would they only fight for sovereignty? They were never happy. Naruto scowled. There didn't seem to be a solution. Whenever there was war, Ninja would destroy everything. Innocent families, their homes, their friends...

He wiped a hand across his face. Idly, he wondered if Aisu's work on the altered Divine Balance seal was making progress. He doubted it. There was a problem. Even a child, no matter how young or underdeveloped, could not handle the amount of power it would take. He then wondered about their next destination. Logically, they should get back on task, but he felt that he owned his friends a vacation. Even when they tried to take a break, they had encountered Akatsuki. He counted his blessings that they had so little challenge there. They got lucky with the new member, and even luckier when his dead father had surprised Orochimaru. The only legitimate kill was that bomber, but he was low level to begin with, comparatively. He was glad that Fuu didn't have to fight a fully powered Kisame. He was arguably the most dangerous member of Akatsuki except their mysterious leader. He also had a bad feeling about the strange spiral masked child that had been with Deidara the last time they had met, before Konoha.

_"Tobi is a good boy!"_

More than likely, Tobi was a tool. Naruto sighed, and quickly calculated their location and relative points of interest. The campfire a practical roar to his enhanced ears.

* * *

Jiraiya cursed. There was simply nothing that could be done. He was paralyzed from the waist down. He doubted even the legendary Tsunade could heal him, and even if she could, he'd no longer be fit to be Hokage. This meant he needed to name a successor, and quickly. The obvious choice was Kakashi, but his condition, even after almost a week, was still frighteningly unstable. He thanked the Jinchuuriki for frightening Akatsuki off. It could have been much worse. His ninja force was wounded, but they would be back at full strength relatively soon. But then his face darkened at the real loss. An entire class of Academy students. They were already choked for shinobi as it was, so much so that they had implemented the new program for advanced students, but an _entire class_ was dead, killed by some kind of clone of Kisame.

He decided that Kakashi was still the best bet. If he recovered, he should be able to regain his normal strength. A strength that was very close to Jiraiya's own. He remembered Kakashi's return to the village, only five years ago.

FLASHBACK

_"Halt, state your business in Konoha." The guard looked bored._

_A silver haired man with one eye closed was standing at the gates, dressed mostly in black._

_"I'm here to rejoin the Hidden Leaf."_

_"Rejoin?" He gasped. "Y-YOU!"_

_"Yes. Hatake Kakashi, the White Wolf."_

_The Chuunin guard hastily called for an AnBu escort to take him to the Hokage._

_There, Sarutobi had promoted him to Special Jounin on the spot, and welcomed him with open arms. The White Wolf of Konoha took a lesser AnBu nickname when Jiraiya became Hokage and promoted him, as 'Dog' instead of 'Wolf' to keep his identity a better secret. Jiraiya commented on his blade at one point._

_"You reforged it, huh?"_

_"Excuse me?" Kakashi turned his seemingly bored eyes on the Toad Sage. "Oh, the White Fang. Yes."_

_"Your father would be proud it's still being used."_

_"Of course he would." Hatake Kakashi left, obviously still irked at Konoha for its treatment of him when he had returned from the mission Obito died on. He had been treated the same as his father. Despite his sensei's pity and outreach, Kakashi had fled Konoha to become a missing ninja, leaving a decimated, but still alive, squad of AnBu behind him as a warning._

_END_

_Yes,_ Jiraiya thought, thinking of the elite ninja. _Kakashi will do nicely, once he's recovered._

His secretary came into the room, eyes downcast. "Hatake Kakashi just flat-lined. The medical ninja say there was nothing they could do."

* * *

My apologies - it's been a while. I've been really busy and I'm about to move up to Denver, so things were rough. Remember to leave your input. At some point, I'll put Kakashi's story up separately, as he deserves attention. I mean, he's a genius...people overlook him too often...he was probably close to Itachi's level before the jerk up and died on me.


	6. Karyuu's Tomb

The tall blonde teen stood among his sleeping comrades breathing quietly. He calmly looked at their faces, each in turn. He had shed his normal attire and wore only black pants, blank ninja sandals, and an open black jacket. His hair was loose and hung down around his face, partially obscuring his eyes. They themselves were remarkable. His pupil was black, like most, but that's as far as the normalcy went. Surrounding his pupil was a red iris, constantly changing and sending spikes of red out into the rest of his iris, which was deep blue. The tendrils were always overwhelmed by the blue, and they were never very long. The red itself was a bit hard to notice in passing, as there was so little of it. These strange eyes blinked, and the boy made a soft clicking sound with his tongue.

His associates started to stir. The last watch, Karyuu, stepped out from the treeline and stood beside him, watching his teammates slowly wake.

"It's a bummer, I was looking forward to a vacation." The strange youth ran his hand through his red hair. "All this fighting is an overused sensation."

Naruto rolled his eyes at the feeble rhyme and replied, "We require emotional reprieve."

Karyuu laughed and nodded. He kicked sand at the still-snoring Killer Bee, who spluttered and rubbed his eyes.

The team cleaned up their camp efficiently, and Aisu rubbed her foot across the root seal in their camp. All seven felt the weight of the different seals lift as they were released. They looked to Naruto, waiting for his orders.

He waited a beat before he gave them. "We're going to the Underground. Once there, you're all free to do whatever you like, so long as you stay within the limits of the sanctuary. Where ever you decide to go, you'll place a relocation seal slip so we can reach you should any trouble arise. I don't need to remind you that splitting up is a big risk with Akatsuki's prime members still alive, but I believe it's necessary. In three days exactly after our arrival, we'll meet at the western gate."

His team absorbed the information. Fuu cheered, Gaara's lips twitched, and Killer Bee happily punched Karyuu in the face.

* * *

The Underground's western gate was not an impressive thing. It was simply a gateway large enough for most caravans to get through, nothing more and nothing fancy. As the seven friends approached the gate, Aisu spoke.

"Here lies the darkest place ever traveled. Most shinobi avoid the Underground. It is said that no technique can be used beyond this point."

Karyuu raised his eyebrow. "Why not?"

"There is a system on the walls that attracts and conducts chakra. As soon as any chakra is released from your body, it is pulled away from you into receptors along the walls and ground, then sealed into an array made of various organic and inorganic materials."

Naruto grinned. "This was the basis of the plans for the Divine Balance technique."

They passed the gates, and followed a narrow path down, and had to duck below an overhang before they emerged into a busy street bustling with all sorts of salesman and booths. Before they could continue, a wizened old man with a white beard and long eyebrows stopped them. He was smiling serenely, and his eyes were closed. He was clad in a robe that hid both his figure and his hands, which were tucked in together in front of them. His head bobbed in a friendly manner as he addressed them.

"I'm afraid that I have to warn you to refrain from any form of violence here." He smiled again and continued, "Not only will all ninja techniques be rendered useless, but on each pylon above you there are taijutsu masters."

He walked away without waiting for a response, and was lost among the crowd of passing people. Naruto turned to his group. "Do as you wish, we'll meet at this location in three days."

With that, he walked into the crowd with Yugito. The rest of the group simply stared in awe at the sheer magnitude of the cavern before them. The street on which they had stepped out onto was at an elevation such that they could see over the buildings directly in front of them. The city was essentially a massive cave, complete with giant pylons supporting the ceiling. Midway up each pylon were decks on which figures paced, watching the commotion below them. The cavern was brightly lit, but there were no obvious sources for this light. Aisu also commented on this.

"The ambient light is a by-product of the chakra cleansing technique they use; chakra is collected from everyone all the time in this place, and then filtered into types. The chakra with a light affinity, that is to say chakra that has a special affinity for genjutsu, it discharged as light particles."

Karyuu looked at her interestedly. "I thought genjutsu worked by altering the chakra flow in the brain of your opponent?"

"Yes, that's one way to do it. Honestly, Karyuu, you're one of the deadliest ninja in this country and you don't understand basic concepts...think of the bunshin. You're not taking over your enemies brain, you're just bending light to refract in such a way that it appears as if there are two of you. This is the same, except that each particle is precisely bent in such a way as to maximize the light from their other discharges."

Gaara spoke up. "Following that line of reasoning, one might say that the very air around us is filled with tiny mirrors. With the right training, base genetics, and focus, you could in theory see everything around you at once."

Aisu nodded. "Problem is, the eyes of this person would have to be incredibly complex; in fact there is only one family that I know of that could use this to their advantage, and it's what they're famous for."

"The Hyuuga." Karyuu clapped his hands together. "Well, now that I have an intimate knowledge of that bloodline limit and why this place is so creepy..."

Without finishing his thought, he vanished, leaving a telltale dust puff in his wake.

Killer Bee threw his head back and laughed. "That bar doesn't know it's in trouble! 'Give me your finest sake and make it a double!'"

A five tailed demon container elbowed him in the stomach while Gaara rolled his eyes. Fuu and Gaara walked away without saying into the crowd. They moved between the bustling people while simultaneously looking at the various wares for sale from the street vendors. Where were all manner of interesting things. Miniature fans, umbrellas, carvings, little drums, and of course confections of every kind. They stopped at one vendor and purchased dumplings, which Fuu happily munched on. They continued on, and as they walked, the streets became less busy, and they encountered less venders. Eventually they came to what seemed to be the edge of town. They were down an alleyway, at the end of which, the side of the cavern loomed above them, curving as it grew. The demon containers propped their backs against the wall, and relaxed, both pleased at the prospect of having nothing to do.

After a few silent moments, Fuu spoke. "You know, for all that we've been together, our family, I still don't know much about you."

Gaara remained silent, his left hand drawing designs in the dirt on the ground next to him.

"What were you doing when you were taken?"

His eyes flicked away from her, and he took a breath. "I was giving medicine to a boy I had injured."

Fuu giggled. "Aw, my little sweetheart."

"I believe it is customary to tell me how you were taken now."

Hey eyes darkened. "But you already know."

"I like to hear you tell it."

She sighed. "Very well. I was four. I lived alone in an apartment, like Naruto. The only difference was, people didn't leave me alone. My landlord, he tried to touch me. To hurt me. To violate me. He tried this almost every night. One night, he was drunk. I couldn't get away, he chased me into the kitchen. I grabbed a knife. I ran into the hallway, and tried to leave the apartment, but the door was locked and I couldn't get out. He grabbed my shoulder, and I spun around."

Gaara's eyes had not left her face for the entirety of her story. "Yes..."

The seven tailed demon container looked at the ground. "When I saw his eyes, his smile, I got really mad. And really scared. I stabbed him with the knife. He reeled backwards like I had punched him really hard, and looked down at the knife like he couldn't believe it was there."

Gaara blinked twice. "Finish the story."

"I jumped at him and tore out his throat with my hands. His blood was so _warm_. The veins and arteries were so slippery. They found me asleep on the couch, and dragged me to a holding cell. For two days I didn't eat anything. I couldn't touch the bars because they were charged with lightning chakra. Then one night while the guards were chatting, they fell silent, and a few moments later, the bars bent outwards. I remember feeling a tug at my waist, and then I was waking up in the clearing."

The one tailed demon container smiled. "That was my first reaction too. The warmth. Mmm."

Fuu closed her eyes and shook her head. "You're so creepy sometimes, sandman."

* * *

Naruto and Yugito had already found a dango stand and were enjoying a treat. Yugito turned to look at her leader and eyed him. He had forsaken his black and silver traveling cloak and was thus only garbed in his customary baggy pants, crimson shirt, wrist wraps, and fingerless gloves. His blonde hair was held back in a spiky ponytail, red coloring bleeding into the tips. His piercing glinted as he chewed his meal. When he caught her eyeing him, he returned the favor, more to make a point than to actually get a look at her.

She was wearing similar attire, however her platinum blond hair spilled out onto a black, longsleeve shirt. It had no designs on it, but the hems were colored the same bright yellow as her hair. Her eyes were slanted and exotic. They gleamed in the light. Her pants were of the same make as the ones Naruto wore. They terminated in combat boots. She did not wear gloves, and the part of the sleeve that covered her forearms were wrapped in leather the same color as her hair. Around her neck, she wore a black collar with a tiny inscribed N gouged into the leather.

"Yeah, you would like the collar." She smirked and took another bite.

"I do." Naruto grabbed it without warning and pulled her to him as she hurriedly swallowed. He forced her face to within a centimeter of his lips and held her there, waiting. She closed the distance and their lips met, the sharp tang of chemistry biting into the flavor of their food. They kissed with their eyes open. Where civilians got the habit of kissing with their eyes closed, a ninja would not be able to tell you. To deprive yourself of a major sense for the simple pleasure of focusing on something as superficial as lips touching seemed silly. Especially when such a move could spell the end of your life.

They laid down their payment for the meal, never looking away from the other's eyes, and left to find a hotel. Naruto did not release his hold on her collar, but he did snake his hand around to the back so she could walk next to him, in lieu of leading her like a pet.

* * *

Karyuu downed another flaming beverage, relishing the burning in his throat. "Now that's what I'm talking about!"

The bar he was sitting in was slightly hazy from the smoke, and very loud. People raucously laughed and cheered at each other, meaninglessly celebrating the act of drinking. Karyruu gestured for another drink and grinned deeply. These drinks were almost as good as the ones he used to drink as a kid. The red haired boy ran his hands through his hair as he waited for his volatile drink, remembering what it was like to grow up alone.

First, it wasn't as boring as one might expect. Having lived alone for his entire life, he had no concept that things were more exciting than what he was doing from day to day. The lack of a society meant that he grew up without prejudice about any particular family or group of people. He also was unaware of how to deal with them. When Itachi had taken him from the volcanic island on which he lived, he neither missed his home or feared for his future.

He did have a family, at one point. There was an old man that he called father, and an equally old woman he called mother. This wasn't exactly accurate, as they were brother and sister, but that simple fact was lost on Kayruu, who simply accepted the fact that they were his guardians. They started to train him as a ninja from a very young age, but fate had other plans.

* * *

_The tall ferns and slim trees swayed in the wind as the dark cloud of death roiled into the heavens. The air was thick with ash that blotted out the sun and made seeing anything nearly impossible. "Mom! Dad!" A young, red haired boy ran along the beach more by memory than sight, screaming for his parents._

_When he reached their home; a simple hut with sleeping mats and a partitioned eating area, he quickly realized neither of them were present. He broke through the front door and hung a hard left, following the well beaten path towards their well. It was where they would have been going at the time of the loud grumbling belch that burned out the sun and coated the air with acrid fumes. He came upon them very suddenly, nearly tripping over his mother. Karyuu quickly knelt, tears flowing freely from his face as he shook them._

_"Mom, Dad, we have to GO!" They stirred, and started coughing roughly, hacking great globs of black from their lungs, weakly trying to edge away from a liquid flow of molten rock. Karyuu roughly dragged them along the ground to put more distance between them and the flow of lava, trying to rouse them to stand. The ash bothered him not one bit, but his surrogate parents barely had the strength to kneel. His father weakly took his hand._

_"Go, Karyuu. Get out of here. We're not going to make it off the island, but you can swim to the mainland."_

_"I'm not going anywhere."_

_"You must!"_

_"I WILL NOT ABANDON YOU!"_

_Karyuu stayed with them, being repeatedly forced to bring them close and closer to the ocean, which was now black from the plume of ash rising and falling from the volcano. Soon, the entire island was blanketed with bright, molten rock. It pulsed gently as it advanced inexorably towards his now unconscious surrogates. He screamed as it melted their flesh, the smell of burning meat sickeningly sweet to his nose. As the lava touched him, enveloped him in its scorching embrace, he cried silently, willing the ungodly temperatures to melt his pain away. It however, did not. He fell asleep in a glowing mess of lava, the agony of losing his loved ones eclipsing the charring of his flesh._

_When he woke, he realized quickly that he could not breathe. Secondly, everything was pitch black, and thirdly, he could not move. He panicked, and slowly suffocated, unable to even move his jaw enough to scream. This time when he woke, he was in what appeared to be a sewer system. He wandered aimlessly through these passageways for what seemed like days, and finally ended up climbing up a latter, which brought him to the beach of some island. There was a beach and palm trees swaying in the breeze, and beyond them was a massive grey glob. He made his way onto the glob, then stopped as a feeling of being watched crushed his soul._

_He fell to his knees as the eyes lit beneath him, both illuminating a part of the silhouette that was encased in this...melted tomb. A deep vibrating rumble permeated his very bones as the top of the glob began to glow, then melt into lava as a scaled back emerged, pulling the glowing eyes back as the great being stretched. When it was free of its encasement, it snorted towards the sky, and great plumes of ash erupted from its nostrils._

_**"Greetings, selfwarming fleshling."**_

_Karyuu was too terrified to speak, and simply covered his head with his arms, hoping to escape this terrible fate._

_**"Why are you cowering, fool?" **__The giant thing regarded him, it's massive snout a mere two feet from his trembling form. __**"I have not threatened you."**_

_"W-what's going on?" The words were hesitant. "What's happening?"_

_**"We're in your mindscape, mammal." **__The demons four tails coiled behind it, lazily melting solid rock. __**"Your shell is deprived of oxygen, which you need to survive."**_

_"I r-remember not being able to b-breathe..."_

_**"That's because you are entombed." **__It chuckled a deep rumble that caused the trees to shake. __**"Do not fear, I will handle it."**_

_Back in reality, Kayuu's eyes lit red, and his teeth bared. His body ripped through several feet of rock as if it were rice paper, and as he emerged into the open air, oxygen flooded his lungs, the shock of it forcing his mind back into the present. He immediately reeled and fell to his knees, taking huge gulping breaths of sweet air. When he felt able, he lifted his head and surveyed the damage. To call it damage was a bit inaccurate; the entire island had changed shape. There was now a spit of land where before there was only a lagoon, his hut was gone, and all life had been blotted out. _Except for mine...

_The thought rose unbidden in his mind. Why HAD he survived?_

* * *

The arrival of his drink jerked him from his memories, and he grinned at the bartender. He tossed the drink down in one gulp, loving the burn of the alcohol. He slid to the women next to him, his grin turning lecherous.

* * *

Author's Notes: I apologize, my friends. I have joined the US Air Force, and also I'm working two jobs at the moment. I have also moved to Alaska. I'm not dead, but the chapters will be few and far between. I'm also considering doing another fic that would be a lot less work but a lot more typical. More fun, I think.

I'm aware that this has a TON of errors, but I feel like I should just post it and fix it later. You guys deserve that much.

Feral Smile


	7. Planning and Execution

**Note from the Author: **Well, I graduated from basic and all that, and I'm currently enjoying Japan, courtesy of the military. Interesting place. I work 14 hour shifts here, so I don't have a lot of time but here's a bit more of the fragments that I have for JnK. My computer has since died so I lost most of my work on that piece.

* * *

Jiraiya's breath came in heaves and gasps as a pink haired kunoichi guided his wheelchair back towards the proper ward. As Kakashi's room disappeared out of view, Jiraiya spoke to his subtle AnBu guards.

"I need Uchiha Sasuke as soon as possible. Have him report to my room.

"Copy."

Sakura positioned the Hokage's chair next to his bed, facing the door, and stood off to the side, clearly uncomfortable. Within minutes, Sasuke came through the door. He took in the sight of the now crippled village leader and his teammate standing by.

"You asked to see me, sir?"

"Yes. I've just placed Kakashi in stasis. There is only one ninja I know of who has the expertise to heal me, and if there's anyone who can bring Kakashi back from death's door, it'll be her. I need you to find Senju Tsunade, one of the legendary Sannin."

"I understand. Who's going to be our Jounin supervisor for this?"

"You will not have one. Uchiha Sasuke, I hereby promote you to Chuunin status. You will lead this mission. Take two of the Genin. You may have any of them with the exception of Sakura."

"With the exception of me, sir?" Sakura looked confused. "Why can't I go?"

The Hokage sighed. "Your performance during the Chuunin exams has led me to believe that you're not training under the appropriate archetype for your style." Her face fell as she accepted this criticism. "Don't get me wrong, Sakura. You're not talented at Ninjutsu or Taijutsu, but if I'm correct, we may be able to find the right type of training for you."

She raised her eyebrow at the white haired hermit. "What kind of training to you mean?"

"You're going to train under our medical corps. Your low chakra reserve is perfect for this, as medicine requires little chakra but extremely high chakra control. When Sasuke manages to return with Tsunade-hime, she'll take over your training."

"I'll be trained by a Sannin?!"

"Congratulations, Sakura!" Sasuke slapped her on the shoulder. "I'll make sure to bring Tsunade back as quickly as possible."

"I don't think I need to tell you, Sasuke, that development of your Sharingan is of utmost importance. If you can master a new type of Doujutsu, it will be a huge advantage to this village."

"I understand sir. I also am ready to select my team. I would like Uchiha Chiemi and Goofuku Sori."

"Your cousin and other teammate. That's fine. You need to leave as soon as possible; my stasis on Kakashi won't last longer than a week or two at most."

"We'll leave within the hour, Hokage-sama."

* * *

The collective of demon containers walked down the road. That would have been the easiest way to describe it, but in actuality, only a couple were walking. Karyuu staggered, still taking occasional swigs from a black bottle with a wicked looking label, and Killer Bee was being carried bridal style by Aisu. Gaara was hovering high above the group with Fuu on a platform of sand, slightly offset to their friends, providing overwatch. Naruto walked alongside the core of the group, while Yugito trailed slightly behind. Far ahead of the group, a black bird flew slowly, gliding and taking in the landscape.

Naruto spoke softly, confident that the demonically enhanced hearing of his colleagues would pick up his murmurs.

"Now that we have refreshed ourselves, work is behind. Without delay, we are headed for the coast. The spy network has picked up no tangible information, but several rumors about a man who has been terrorizing pirate ships off the coast of the Whirlpool Island Chain. So far what we have learned is that he is of foreign descent and has been called the 'Demon of the Sea'."

"Sounds promising." The ever encouraging Fuu continued drawing vague shapes in the sand that made up their floating platform.

"Now that Akatsuki is aware of our existence and knows of our firepower, I believe they're going to start working in cells instead of partnered pairs. They'll most likely send at least four after this next Jinchuuriki, and go after the Rokubi simultaneously. Since the Rokubi is unsealed, this person on the coast takes priority. Obviously due to the dangers, we will no longer be splitting the group up. We will travel as a unit one hundred percent of the time. We will not engage any enemy, no matter how insignificant, unless we have a minimum of one other for backup." Naruto eyed Karyuu. "Purge your systems of impurities, and let's pick up the pace. This will be easier if we reach the coast before Akatsuki."

* * *

Tears blurred her vision. She couldn't remember how long she'd been running, only that she started when the girl with wings told her to. She had passed the gates of Konoha long ago, but she couldn't stop herself. They were all dead. All of her friends. Rin, Yoko, Kasumi, Rikuma…they were all gone forever. She screamed, all the while still sprinting as fast as she could. Thunder broke and rain soaked the girl. Her black hair seemed even darker in the rain, and she tripped, skidding several feet. She sobbed into the soil for several minutes, then fell asleep.

When she had the strength, she raised herself to her knees and looked up. Towering above her were two massive columns, connecting a suspension for a gigantic bridge. A sculpture of a lion stood guard in front of two large gates. It was slightly to the side, allowing a larger lane for caravans and a smaller lane for those travelers on foot. It was vicious looking, with its flank displayed to the front of the bridge, it prowled from one side to the other, as is protecting the bridge. A small plaque on the foot of one of the columns identified the bridge.

**The Great Lion Bridge**

_Dedicated to the bravery of Konoha Team 7,_

The lion was not mentioned, however with meticulous detail, the artist had carefully carved a fully matured Sharingan in both of the lions eyes. On its forehead was a leaf headband,.

The girl curled her fist in the dirt. Her friends had died. She had no family. The village likely thought her head. Why had she survived?

"No. I didn't. We all died that day." The girl stood, and painfully stripped off all her clothes. Naked, she started across the bridge. She walked with her head up, leaving a trail of bloody footprints behind her. Her hair, once so carefully preserved in the style that Rin was rumored to like, was now wild and unkempt. Her eyes, used to lighting up at gossip, now stared ahead. They were black. A single caravan came into view as she slowly walked along. She turned her iron grey eyes to the water on the side of the bridge and noted silently the squad of ninja running across the water, at an angle towards islands in the distant.

She closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, their stone grey hue lit upon the broken caravan. There was activity ahead, and a woman screamed. The steel grey in her eyes didn't harden. They didn't widen. Her feet were leaving less blood now. The tracks were getting fainter. The caravan, she now saw, belonged to traveling entertainers. A woman's body was slumped over a broken wheel, and a man was pinned beneath. Another woman was trying to escape from the grasp of who was clearly a bandit. A little girl sobbed from within the canvas.

The girl turned her light grey eyes on the man holding the woman as she slowly approached the caravan, not missing a step or hesitating in the slightest. The man saw her nakedness and grinned. "Look at what we have here, boys!"

The sobs and screams from inside the wagon ended abruptly, and two men stepped out, lacing their breeches as they did so. "What fun!"

Her off-white eyes stared into the soul of the final man, who was standing slightly to the side of the others, in the background, looking uncomfortable and scared. He spoke after a moment, clearly uncomfortable looking into her eyes. "I don't t-think w-we should s-stop h-er…"

The other men stopped smiling and one of them slapped him. "Grow a backbone you wuss."

The man, however, spoke again, holding his face with one hand. "Who travels naked you idiot?!"

They looked at their partner, who fell dead to the floor. The girl turned her eyes on them.

"WHAT DID YOU DO YOU WHORE!" The man who was inside the canvas screamed, and cocked back his fist to strike her. It hit her across the face and she staggered back. "Come here you little slut!"

He grabbed her by the shoulders and forced her to her knees as he ripped his breeches open again. With inhuman speed she grabbed his manhood in a vice grip, earning a pained intake of breath from the man as she snapped her head up to look him in the eyes. "I am not a whore."

Her white eyes did not blink. **"Watashi wa Onryou da."**

She stood and extended her hand blow his ribcage and up into his heart. She pushed him lightly off the side of the bridge and cocked her head at the final man. He screamed and ran. She felt empowered. She felt strong. She ran him down, and ripped into his back, soaking her still nude form in his blood.

The girl lazily approached the caravan, noting with distain that the occupants cowered away from her. She bent and picked up a can of white face paint.

As she left, the little girl asked her name. The girl with the white eyes paused, and looked over her shoulder. "Kaiden."

* * *

Fuu suddenly stopped, the waves forcing her to bob with the motion of the water. Yugito saw this and paused. "What's happened?"

The Seven-tailed Jinchuuriki blinked, and looked at the bridge in the distance. The watched as a body slowly fell from the side and impacted the water below. "I…"

Naruto was between then. "We're wasting time. We must save our brother."

Fuu looked Yugito in the eyes, and both girls tensed momentarily as a Genjutsu took them. Naruto sighed, aware of his muse's penchant for using illusions to communicate in private. They recovered. Both girls looked at their leader and the demon containers behind him, all waiting for them.

Yugito spoke. "I have to leave for a while."

He narrowed his eyes. "What?"

"There's something I have to do." She hesitated. "I'm sorry."

Yugito turned and ran, leaving an angry Kyuubi container behind. He leveled his eyes at Fuu.

"Kyuubi-sama, this was necessary. I'll explain after we save our brother."

"If any harm comes to her, I will hold you personally responsible."

"I understand." With that they continued their breakneck journey towards the islands of Whirlpool.

* * *

**Let me know what you think. Review with predictions or impressions you got. What elements you liked and which you didn't.  
**Cheers.

FS


	8. An Icy Perspective

**Author's Note:**

Whiteabyss89: If you figure it out, let me know and I'll see what I can do to improve my writing skills in future.

Ishiguro Ayumu: Japan is very…humid. I'm on Okinawa, so it's essentially a tropical island. I'm from Alaska originally, so the difference is sometimes hard on me.

I know it's been forever and what not, but I did warn you about my leaving for the military and all that. So right now I also don't have a lot of time because my career field is ridiculous but it is what it is. I'll try to sum up what's happened so far, or at least clarify a few points:

At the beginning, when Iruka was briefing the Hokage, he was meant to be briefing him on the existence of the Jinchuuriki Nine, not the Akatsuki. I realized while I was writing it how confusing that scene was, and tried to make it a little more clear by use of the cloak and what Jiraiya said about them hunting Akatsuki, but since I haven't really found a way to make it less confusing yet (and losing all of my work due to a hard drive failure), allow me to explain.

The group of Jinchuuriki at the time was unknown in number, and had been doing high paying clandestine or unreal assignments that villages couldn't or wouldn't take to fund themselves. Like Akatsuki, they've worked primarily in pairs – hence the natural gravitation of the members shown throughout my chapters. Their personalities as children pay into their lives how. Yugito, being resentful of her demon, gravitated away from the Hachibi, who eventually became friends with his. While he may or may not be at that point in my story, his personality was generally happier, and angsty-Yugito wasn't at the point in her maturity where she could just accept her demon. Naruto's relationship with the Kyuubi right now is the most volatile of all the containers, what with it being the most powerful and most sinister. His hatred of the Kyuubi for (in his point of view) killing his parents and making his life hell caused him to hate it. Instead of being supported by the Sandaime and having a chance to make those life-altering childhood experiences such as helping Sakura or what have you, he has been training. So he didn't really get a chance to develop emotionally. Yugito was drawn to that despite his youth.

The rest of the containers have similar circumstances – such as Gaara and Fuu, who are opposites. You've heard the phrase opposites attract? Well of course this is somewhat of the ultimate embodiment of that. A hyperactive, positive-minded girl and a dark, slightly murderous and unstable boy. One to level out the other. Whether Fuu manages to save Gaara from his demons or whether he snaps remains to be seen.

Yugito, while not exactly an original character, has an original personality. You've gained some insight about her earlier in this note, and you will learn more about her later on in this story, but what I am willing to share is what you may have gathered on your own. Her main skill is Genjutsu, usually having to do with bones or the underworld. She has already demonstrated a Genjutsu powerful enough to override Sasuke's three pronged Sharingan – which is fully matured if not its ultimate form. This will also be explained later on.

Karyuu – Jinchuuriki of the four-tailed Komodo dragon. You learned a bit about him as well. A counterpart for Killer Bee. You've seen about his past, but not so much his personality except where it pertains to the Jinchuuriki Nine. He will also be explained shortly.

Aisu – stay tuned.

Fuu – Jinchuuriki of the Seven-tailed rhinoceros beetle. Initially, I was going to go with the legend regarding this tailed beast, but instead since she was introduced in the manga already, I went with her canon demon. In the actual legend regarding this beast, it's in the form of a badger that uses clay to shape shift and burrows underground. Since it had no effect to the plot of the story, however, I went with the beetle.

Uchiha Chiemi – Sasuke's little cousin, who is only a Genin thanks to the Accelerated Shinobi Program, due to an entire academy class being taken out. As you can see, she's about as strong as the canon characters were, meaning she has some innate skill. She did manage to beat one of the hardest working Hyuuga candidates, so maybe that will be important later on. Who knows? Sasuke also chose her for the Tsunade mission, so we'll most likely learn a bit about her as well. Plus that mysterious team member of Sasuke's, Goofuku Sori.

The Sharingan that Sasuke managed to awaken may have an effect as well, as foreshadowed by the Hokage telling him to focus on developing his eye. You all saw what happened on the Great Lion Bridge (Formerly the Great Naruto Bridge).

Kaiden – the unnamed academy student that survived Kisame's culling of the Academy. What a mysterious girl. White face paint? Highly adult themes? A creepy Japanese sentence? She identified herself as an Onryou which is a Japanese spirit from their folklore. Typically they are female spirits that wear white face paint and have crazy black hair (think the Ring girl). Typically they are females that were abused or powerless when they were alive. When they die, they're empowered as spirits and find themselves to be strong. Mostly they are driven by vengeance, but this is not always the case. The name Kaiden is a hat-tip to a type of Japanese story. It doesn't translate exactly, but it's what the Japanese used to call a scary story. Now, however, they call them Horror stories.

* * *

I looked on incredulously at the scene playing before my eyes. It seemed more like fiction than reality. I was looking down at the ocean from the platform of sand on which we all stood, watching a single figure wearing ridiculous clothes brandish his finger at cloaked members of Akatsuki. Not only that, but he seemed to have a misconception about who they were; he kept yelling at them as if he believes that they're some kind of pirate! Reckless of his own health, the kid keeps engaging them in combat and somehow, despite having terrible form and apparently no combat training, is escaping mostly unharmed! Ichibi guided the platform closer to the fray and my ears started to pick up his words more clearly.

"You're dressed strangely for pirate you know!" His voice carried a strange accent, putting emphasis on different parts of the statement than usual. "I've beaten fish who put up a betta fight den you!"

My eyes widened slightly as the boy seemed to lose his balance for a spit second and sway to the left – as he did so, a wave crashed over the side of the ship he was standing on. Did I mention that all this was happening on the deck of the closer of two giant vessels, complete with triple-sails? This absurd boy was unaffected by the wave, but when the Akatsuki member came back into view, he was covered in a strange jelly substance. A moment later he started screaming.

"Hahahahaha! I see you've met my box jellyfish, ya?" He laughed heartily, completely unaware of the danger the cloaked man posed. "You'll be dyin' in just a couple minutes now."

Behind both figures and out of view, I watched a bluish form erupt from the water and land on the fly bridge of the ship, a familiar scaled sword in his hand. _Kisame_. As he started towards the Jinchuuriki on the lower deck, the boy in question turned, and his eyes widened. I watched him look at the sword. Then his eyes narrowed and he said something under his breath that not even my enhanced hearing was able to pick up. Kisame, however, laughed. This enraged the boy, who started yelling at him, arms flailing madly about.

"YOU NOTTIN' BUT A STINKIN' FISH, YA!" He leveled his odd, crescent bladed sword at Kisame and continued, "I'mana make you into some delicious oo loo' wah!"

Kisame laughed again as the Akatsuki member behind the boy rose to his feet and shook the deadly jellyfish off himself. He started to run at the boy, but as soon as he did, the boy turned faster than I could blink and roared at the man. Simultaneously, a large shark head made out of pure, undiluted demonic chakra burst from his form, and with a wet smack, crushed the nuke-nin between hundreds of serrated teeth. The apparition was gone as soon as it appeared. The boy turned, and chakra started to pour off of him. Instead of igniting like Kyuubi-sama's, or my hair raising variety, his chakra literally released by falling from his form as if it were water. He flew at Kisame headfirst, a shark-like cloak of greyish chakra covering him. Kisame jumped backwards, falling several meters into the sea, as the Jinchuuriki followed him.

Our leader's voice spoke from behind us. "None of us are prepared to fight in such an environment. Kisame has too much skill and too much advantage. The only two that may have been of assistance is Nibi and Hachibi."

Then I heard Hachibi answer him. "I could fight from the ships and devastate Kisame with my lightning element – but the likelihood of my hitting that kid is also pretty relevant!"

Kyuubi nodded. "Very well."

I looked around, surprised. "Kyuubi-sama, you've forgotten that I also have a huge advantage in this environment."

"While I understand that the presence of water empowers your predisposition towards the ice element, keep in mind that this is seawater, and therefore full of salt."

"You're correct in assuming that it's relevant, but while that is true, the element will just cause me to consume additional chakra. I'll still hold the same advantage, just at a higher cost."

"I understand. You may engage if you deem it necessary."

I gathered chakra to my eyes and felt the pressure. **"Byakugan!"**

My perception of the world widened as Orochimaru's gift took effect. The full scale battle going on beneath the deceptively calm waters (I mean this as a relative term – there was still a sizable surf going on) was breathtaking. Both ninja were moving at superhuman speeds, engaging each other and breaking away just as fast as we would have on land. Disruptions in the water denoted water techniques being launched, and I noticed small vibrations in the sea. I realized what was happening immediately, and stepped off the platform. Air rushed past my face as I brought my hands into a hand sign. I crashed into the water and felt my chakra release and encase me in ice. I manipulated the air out of the bottom of my little sanctuary so it would outweigh the water and keep me neutrally buoyant. I was several meters below the surface of the ocean, and because I was now encased in water, I could hear the otherwise silent conversation between the two as they battled. They had seen and disregarded me as a non-threat as soon as I landed. If I could have shaken my head, I would have. I was an S-ranked killer and they dismissed me in less than half a second. Didn't even consider me a threat. I listened to them.

"You think you belong 'ere?" A water technique rippled the water towards Kisame, who avoided it and continued smiling. "You stole from my brudda and tink you can get away?"

"No one is running, boy." Kisame twisted his body, causing a small cyclone under the water and shot at the Jinchuuriki, reminding me vaguely of the Gatsuuga technique from the Inuzuka ninja during the invasion.

"This is my home!" The Jinchuuriki snapped at Kisame with his shark head at insane speeds, but the nuke-nin dodged his attacks and continued towards him. As Kisame neared him, the ocean seemed to slow. All the events apart from the Jinchuuriki seemed to slow down. His eyes closed, and then reopened with strange dilated pupils. **"THIS IS OUR HOME!"**

Three massive fins protruded from the chakra construct, as the boy vanished and the demon took control. Hundreds of times per second, the massive shark head bit and tore at Kisame, who abandoned his technique immediately and attempted to escape. As he struck forth with his uncanny speed in the water, however, his sword Samehada shot towards the great shark. Not expecting this, Kisame was jerked back towards the fish and let go of Samehada, swearing. The shark was momentarily distracted by the sword, allowing Kisame to gain distance between them. The Akatsuki member continued his full flight, and I paid more attention to the beast in front of me.

Samehada started to change. Two scales on either side of the sword moved to reveal eyes, and a mouth opened on the tip to show wicked looking teeth. The handle vanished, replaced by a finned tail. This newly-created fish attached itself to the Sanbi's stomach. As I noted all of this, the giant shark saw me again, and before I could react, was in my face. It floated neutrally in front of me, nose barely touching the ice. I felt an amused rumble from it.

"**Hah! You're no pirate!" **It chuckled again and the chakra started to dissipate. **"You're a girl!"**

I sweat dropped, fear forgotten. I allowed the ice to melt as we both surfaced. My five companions landed behind me, and we all regarded the boy in front of us. He had wild, uncontrolled black hair hanging from his head and amused looking brown eyes. He had a wave design tattooed around one of his bared arms, showing up blue against his dark, tanned skin. He wore grass anklets on both of his feet, and was not wearing a shirt. He wore tan shorts. He smiled at us, a shark tooth pendant dripping water down his dark chest and stomach.

Kyuubi spoke. "Who are you?"

"I'm Kahuna." He grinned at us and started laughing. "At least that's what they call me. My real name doesn't really matter."

"Is that supposed to mean something to me?"

"You don't know Kahuna?" He frowned. "You foolin' ya?"

"I'm afraid not."

"Kahuna, haole. God of the surf." He extended his arms around him. "These are my waters. I protect them from nasty pirates."

He grinned again as our leader spoke. "There is an organization after you called Akatsuki. You just faced two of its members. Their goal is to acquire all of the tailed beasts for some sinister purpose. Our goal is to annihilate them. We are all like you. Jinchuuriki. Jailors of the Damned. We are your brothers. And now, your family."

"Man you been in da sun too long." He rolled his eyes. "I ain't interested in any of your landlocked troubles. These people," He gestured at the two ships behind him, "rely on me to protect them. I don't know what a Jinchoorakee is, but I want nottin' to do wit ya."

"Akatsuki is trying to kill you. They will send more ninja. They will continue to endanger your people and will end up capturing you. You have a demon inside of you; that is where your powers derive. Surely you've met it…?"

"What, you mean Isonade?" The man belly-laughed and shook his head, water splattering all of us. "He ain't no demon, he just one misundastood guppy in a world fulla shrimp."

"I…what?"

"Tell ya what, haole," He once again gestured to the boats, "These be pullin' water in and without my help, they neva findin' a home. You help me find them a new place, I help you with your cat-skiis."

"…very well." Kyuubi turned to us. "Ideas?"

Yonbi sighed. "I could use my ultimate technique, if you feel like carrying me for a few days. It won't be permanent, but it will be dry land."

"Do it."

Yonbi explained the plan to Kahuna, who nodded and left to speak with the boats. The Ichibi's sand lifted us all into the air, until we were at least a hundred feet above the water. Karyuu stepped forward and started flashing through hand signs. On the final sign, he dropped into horse stance, and chakra started boiling off of him, as it normally did. His hands were joined at the fingers, palms towards his chest and hands held horizontally. The bottom three fingers were interlocked, and his index fingers were touching at a point. His thumbs were pointed at the sky. Finally, with the whole world seeming to vibrate, he spoke in a deep, demonic voice.

"**Ultimate Art of the Earth's Core: Ocean Breaker!"**

His muscles tensed as the strain hit them. The waters around the ships shrank to dead calm as the power of Kahuna touched them. However, in front of us, the ocean seemed unchanged. Then, a strange, massive shape seemed to be coming from nowhere. It solidified into a dark cloud of…something. The water started steaming, releasing moisture into the air and making the Ichibi's sand incredible heavy. It became hard to breathe through the steam. In front of me, the Yonbi had dropped to one knee, visibly shaking from the effort. Below us, the water roiled and the substance broke the surface, now I was able to identify it as magma. It broke the surface at several different locations as the Yonbi dropped to both knees, and then almost fell forward as the Hachibi held him up. His cloak activated as the chakra output increased. The magma spewed forth, at points glowing lava showing from within the blackened exterior. This continued for several chakra-laden minutes, and then finally the container to the four tailed Komodo dragon slumped in Hachibi's grasp, the technique finished. In front of us was at least a square mile of molten rock, rapidly cooling, but slightly smoking. The Jinchuuriki I had witnessed earlier threw his arms in crescent shapes as water rose and washed over the land, cooling it very quickly. With the help of the Ichibi, the ships were placed on the new island, now of tolerable temperature.

We landed as the boy explained to the crew that this was their new temporary home. He told them how he was going to use his mastery of the waters to create reefs to attract fish for them to eat once their supplies ran out and he instructed them to make repairs to their ships as best they could. He promised to return, and bade farewell to the ever-grateful crews and family. I was surprised at how many there were. Both ships had been absolutely packed full of people. He turned to us, and heaved a great breath before walking over to us.

"Well, a deal's a deal." He held out his hand to me. "So tell me all about all this stuff again?"

* * *

We had traveled back towards land, but made a slight detour to the Whirlpool Islands in order to have a rest and allow Karyuu to recover in relative peace. Kahuna, the new recruit, had showed us how to bypass the pools of swirling water, and once we bypassed the outermost group of them, we stopped to rest on a small spit of land. The chakra control required to water walk though whirlpools was incredible, and therefore we expended an unreasonable amount of chakra in order to compensate. Kyuubi took this chance to formally introduce us all.

"Ichibi no Jinchuuriki." Said container raised his arm to signify himself. "He holds the one tailed Raccoon and commands the sand, as you have seen. He does not usually engage enemies directly; rather he is out most valued defensive element. He wears the ring of the First. Internally speaking, he is the lowest ranking individual, although that only takes effect at times where a command is required."

"You all wear those rings, ya?" Kahuna looked around. "What they mean?"

"The material denotes our relationship to our tenant. The stone represents which demon we harbor, and the number of stones signify the number of tails of power we have mastered, which is to say have full personal control while wielding. Ichibi no Jinchuuriki here, as his full title is said, wears an Iron ring. The Iron means that he has no sort of agreement with his tenant and that there is no unity when they fight together. He has a single citrine embedded there, as you can see, meaning he has full control of his demon."

"You just said that the gemstones mean that you control a tail's worth – but you just said he has full contro- ah, I get it now." The newest member scratched his head. "His demon only has one tail. Got it."

"Correct. The Hachibi no Jinchuuriki is on good terms with his Bijuu and they work in tandem. His seal is such that if he were to die, so would his tenant. In addition to this, he has become friends with his tenant. This earns him a ring of gold material. He has also mastered six stones with of power, made out of Sugilite to signify the Eight Tailed Ox/Octopus. Fuu here, however, contains the Demon Beetle. They fight together, but only insomuch as if she dies, it dies. They are not, however, friends with each other. This earns them the practical material of Silver, with obsidian gemstones, denoting her six tails of power."

I spoke up. "The Ichibi's band of Iron is the precursor to the Shichibi's Silver. In time, should he and his Bijuu come to an understanding, their style may change and take on new power, and he will be rewarded with a new ring. Such is our motivation to bond with our tenants." I held up my hand to show him my ring. "Mine, however, is unique. I have a yang seal, which creates a unique bond with my beast. It was filtered into two separate beings in order for me to control it at a much younger age than usual. This was necessary because I was an experiment. The Nuke-nin, Orochimaru, created me using DNA from the Hyuuga, hoping to grow a live subject in order to experiment with my Doujutsu, the Byakugan. However, our own Itachi-"

I was interrupted as the annoying bastard crowed loudly and flew from his perch to land in my hair. He regarded the new boy for a second before gurgling and started to pick at my hair. I sighed and continued, "Our own Itachi was attacked by a subordinate of Orochimaru in the hopes of capturing one of the Jinchuuriki he was traveling with. He crushed that Nin and learned of Orochimaru's whereabouts from the same before he died. Instead of waiting for another attack, he went for Orochimaru directly. A battle ensued, and the scale of which attracted by wild coincidence the nearby Gobi. As it turns out, Orochimaru sent an underling to attack Itachi while he tried to intercept the same, but the plan backfired because Itachi defeated the former so easily. Itachi was forced to seal the beast into a test subject, but while he was preoccupied with such, Orochimaru managed to kill him."

I took the protesting crow into my hands and placed him on my knee as I sat down with the rest of them.

"Or so it seemed. The sealing was a success due to my experimental nature. I didn't grow normally from an embryo, I was incubated in a stasis-chamber, and as such my chakra coils were still malleable enough to contain this beast. Instead of dying, Itachi used his Sharingan to implant his consciousness in this feathery little bugger here." I lowered my voice as the rest of the group listened on. "However…as time wears on, he loses bits of himself. He recognizes his name at this point, and can understand what we say…but he's lost so much of himself to the crow that he's not really the Itachi they remember. I never met him in human form, really. I was taught to control my demon by my brothers here. However, this is the reason my ring is unique – I am home to one demon that has been separated into two. With one I share a friendship. The other is utilitarian in nature, thus the braided gold and silver."

The Kyuubi no Jinchuuriki stood again. "Lesson one is over. We need to set up a campsite."

Kahuna shook his head. "I have a better idea. Here, follow me."

We followed him through some jungle into a clearing. I gasped. A truly awe-inspiring event was happening before our eyes. A super-scaled whirlpool circled a large village, which itself was below sea level. Unless you were standing exactly where we were standing, you wouldn't have been able to see it. We were on a large cliff overlooking the phenomenon, and directly in front of us before the edge of the maelstrom were several pools of water. Each was fifty feet down from the sheer drop off cliff. There were nine pools. Kahuna spoke up over the roar of the rushing water.

"This is the entrance to the Village of Ghosts, which used to be a Hidden Village. There are only a handfulla people in all da nations who know how to get in there, and I'm one of 'em!" He thrust his thumb into his chest and nodded to himself, grinning.

I recognized that name. "This used to be the Village Hidden in the Maelstrom."

Naruto took a step forward. His expression was strange. He looked over the village, his back to us. "This is…"

I answered his unspoken question. "The birthplace of the Uzumaki."

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Review.

FS


	9. Real Power

**A/N: I'll most likely be going through old chapters and fixing the annoying amount of errors I've found there. Enjoy this update. As you know, this story is not a priority, so it doesn't get much love.**

**Cheers.**

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As I approached the gates to Konoha, I saw my two teammates waiting for me. The sun was shining, and all in all it was a beautiful day, or it would have been except for the fact that Kakashi-san was dead and the Hokage was crippled. I broke into a jog, noting the slightly annoyed expressions on their faces. I caught up to them and my cousin started his instructions.

"We're headed out of the village to find Senju Tsunade. This mission will have a couple sub-objectives as well, namely we are delivering a message to Port City, which is on the eastern coast just south of Yu no Kuni, the Hot Springs Country. We'll first journey to Otafuku Gai, where Tsunade has been seen. If all goes well, she can be en route to Konoha as we finish the second and third parts of our mission."

His teammate, Goofuku Sori, cocked his head to the side and asked, "You only outlined two objectives. What is the third?"

"Well, the third objective is specifically relating to myself and Chiemi here." He indicated me by gesturing in my direction. "You will escort Tsunade back to the village while Chiemi and I continue on with the second part, and during that time we have our own objective, the nature of which is to train in specific techniques."

"Roger that."

"What specific techniques?" I asked, curiously.

"We'll go over that when the time comes. As it is, we should head out. We have to rush to our first location. Wedge formation, no over watch."

We signified our understanding and dashed off with our leader. The fact that my cousin made Chuunin and I didn't was disappointing, but I did understand. He was on a totally different level than the rest of us. If that's what it takes to be a Chuunin…then I still have a long way to go. It is only a matter of time however, as I am an Uchiha. Excellence runs in my veins. Sori, being right handed and a long-range specialist, was on Sasuke's right wing, while I took the left. As with most Uchiha, I am most skilled with Genjutsu, and Taijutsu. It seemed as though Sasuke was the exception to the Genjutsu rule, however, as he specialized in Ninjutsu. The three of us together made up a standard squad: Nin, Gen, and Tai. We had all three ranges covered as well. It was a well thought out team when you considered the natural teamwork Sasuke and Sori would have, coming from the same team. Since we're both Uchiha, Sasuke and I would also work well together. The only slight wildcard would be if Sasuke were to get separated from the group, Sori and I have never worked together before. But the combination of my Genjutsu and his long ranged techniques are complimentary.

Trees went by all around us, the dark skin of which flaked off as we went from branch to branch. The fact that we were traveling without an over watch meant that speed was imperative. A lot of the time squad leaders would say that just to keep their team motivated and high speed, but in this case at least it was true. And of course I knew this; the state of the Hokage and Kakashi wasn't a good one. I only hoped that we would make it in time. The more pressing matter was what techniques Sasuke wanted to work on with me. Considering that he chose me, an Uchiha, it probably related to our family. More than likely, he wanted to work on our Doujutsu together. It made sense.

Each Sharingan is different, and the eye techniques related to these eyes are unique from person to person, with only a few rumored exceptions. A truly amazing Uchiha, one that was a genius from birth and worked hard his entire life and met certain unknown conditions might awaken the fabled Mangekyou Sharingan, but that may have just been a silly family legend. Sasuke was the only Uchiha I knew or read about who had awakened his Sharingan to full maturity in one instance, and the story he did about what he did when it was activated didn't match with anything I'd read either. There were only five of us remaining, and of those five, only Sasuke and I had awakened our bloodline. The galling part is that I had awakened mine first.

We continued to travel into the day and finally, when the sun was about to set, twinkling lights signified Otafuku Gai. We reached the edge of the town and made straight for the large building that Sasuke told us our hotel. We checked in, and went upstairs to our room. It was fairly Spartan, with a bathroom and four beds. It was one of the specialties of this particular hotel, a room made for a Genin team and their Jounin – who had a connected but separate room to themselves. We showered with little small talk, and dressed for a night on the town. Sasuke told us that the Sannin was probably out at night, due to her notorious gambling habits.

Sasuke had dressed in a dapper black suit sans tie. The white undershirt was unbuttoned down to the second button, and on cuff he wore silver links in the shape of the Sharingan. Sori also wore a black suit similar to Sasuke's, but also wore a dark emerald undershirt and black tie. His black hair and dark green eyes accented this perfectly. I myself wore a black dress with red highlights that covered my shoulders and arms. The hem of the dress terminated just shy of my ankles. I wore heels to be of a height with the boys, and accessorized with black eyeliner, lashes, and gold earrings. My nails, as always, were painted black to match my exposed toes.

Our first stop in the town was the largest casino in the city. It was decorated by three large pyramids, each glowing with internal light. Neon signs and advertisements flashed everywhere, illuminating the streets so well that there weren't even any street lights. I quickened my pace as my awe had caused me to fall a bit behind the boys. As he reached the door, Sasuke turned to us.

"We'll fan out and attempt to locate her. Come over the net if you think you've seen her."

We nodded our understanding and we entered. Immediately Sasuke veered left and away from us, and after a moment's hesitation, Sori went in a vague direction to my right. I myself went straight ahead, drawing the gaze of several men as I walked past them. Most noted my age and snorted a small disapproval before returning to their activities. Silly people. I could kill them in an instant and they just dismiss me because I'm young? Fools. After circling the admittedly large casino for about an hour, Sasuke called us to the door, and we left for the next location.

This went on for most of the night. It was about three in the morning and our fifth establishment of the night when we saw her. It was exhausting. I had already resigned myself to not seeing her, giving up and going home. I toyed with that thought as we entered, but I knew Sasuke would keep us out here for as long as it took. I didn't see her at first, but Sasuke went rigid for a split second, then tapped us both covertly. We followed his gaze and saw the platinum blond Sannin grinning widely with pink-tinged cheeks while a nervous woman looked on. On the table in front of the blond was a highly agitated pig, squealing and hopping about, tapping its hoof on the table and mock charging the woman, who was yelling insults at it. I sweatdropped as my teammates regained their composure, and started to approach her. I kept a straight face right up until, "-Come have it then, Pork Loaf you'll make a delicious snack!"

The pig leapt into the air at the woman, highly offended, and started biting and mauling the woman, as the same roared in fury and somehow managed to get one leg over the table while the pig tore at her face. In their enthusiasm, the famous medic crushed the table, sending splinters everywhere, breaking several bottles and causing a dead silence to fall over the room as the dust settled. We were now directly in front of her, and she was looking at us, holding the pig in one hand, which was also looking at us. The atmosphere in the room dropped noticeably as the patrons of the unfortunate bar shifted their attention from her to the team of ninja now standing ominously in their midst. Sasuke leveled his gaze at the woman, but didn't say a word. Tsunade shifted slightly, then slammed her hands on what remained of the table, causing it to explode, and obviously hoping to escape in the confusion. However, as she rushed past Sasuke, he grabbed a splinter from the air and whipped it at the woman as she passed through us, faster than I could track without my Sharingan. The sharp wood tagged her cheek as the made it through the door, and she stopped cold.

"Hemophobia." Sasuke turned his body and started towards the woman as Sori stared down the black haired assistant that had half-risen from her seat. I followed my cousin. "It's a rather unfortunate handicap for the legendary medic Senju Tsunade, one of the Sannin and holder of the Summoning Scroll of the Slug."

The woman was shaking and staring at the blood on her fingers. She had wiped her face. Sasuke lightly pushed her into the street, out of the bar. Sori and the woman's assistant followed slightly behind. Sasuke stood directly in front of Tsunade as she stared at the blood, eyes distant and tremors still going through her body. Unexpectedly, Sasuke slapped her across the face. "Coward."

In an instant, the legend snapped her eyes to his and swung her arm to slap him back. Sasuke raised his arm to easily counter the blow, only instead of blocking it, he was sent flying through the air with an audible hum and crack as he hit an embankment on the opposite side of the street.

"You little shit." Tsunade looked at us in disgust. "They didn't even have the good decency to send Jiraiya? They think they can just send some meaningless messengers to command me back to that stupid village?"

Sori took a step forward. "Watch your mouth when you disrespect Konoha!"

"Hah!" She swaggered towards the boy while saying, "You want to defend its honor? Konoha hasn't raised a worthwhile ninja since my generation; and to prove it, I'll beat you with a single finger!"

"You're on!" Sori extended his arm, sending several small shuriken at the Sannin, who raised her arm as well, one finger cocked, held in place by her thumb. With a metallic chink, the small shuriken expanded as the rotation forced their hinges open, slowing their rotation but expanding their kill radius to just shy that of a windmill shuriken. The blades locked in place and with a small noise they shot ninja wire out of the tips as they barely missed the woman, who weaved between them, only to be caught in the wire. She paused for an instant, before continuing as normal, the wire screaming briefly in protest before it snapped. Sori came at her, overcome by rage as he tried to engage the Sannin in Taijutsu. She simply juked to the left and flicked him in the forehead protector, sending him into the embankment next to Sasuke and ruining his suit.

"Chicken-shit Genin." Tsunade turned to leave, only to find herself face to face with Sasuke. "What, am I supposed to be impressed that you can move quickly?"

In her arrogance, she didn't avert her eyes from the deadly Sharingan now spinning in my cousin's eyes. Her eyes went dull, and I watched as she fell to her knees. Her voice came out shaky.

"I…" I turned my head slightly to hear her better, and almost took a step forward before I felt it. The air was suddenly thick, and in my chest I felt a strange ripping. Horror engulfed me as I realized just what it meant to be a Sannin as the woman flooded everything around her with so much killing intent that even her assistant looked stricken. Tsunade placed a hand on the ground flat, and with the intent, her voice raised to a roar. **"I AM A SANNIN YOU DESRESPECTFUL LITTLE FUCKS!"**

Her hand impacted the ground as rocks and shards of earth flew into the air. The air itself screamed past me as she stood, the ground shaking at her very presence. Sasuke staggered back several steps, eyes whirling madly. His teeth were bared and he was looking wildly around, terrified as the rest of us. I opened my mouth, but no words would come out. I tried screaming, but my throat was locked tighter than the family vault. Tsunade picked Sasuke up by the throat, using one hand. She lifted him high into the air, and stared straight into his Sharingan eyes.

"You think that your eyes scare me?" She laughed. "You may have powerful eyes, but I grew up with Shinobi legends. I was trained by the God of Shinobi. You are nothing. You have power but lack the will or tenacity to use it."

Her grip tightened on his throat. "And now you're going to learn just how stupid you are, worm!"

He started choking and flailing about, unable to harm or even phase the woman who was on such a higher level than he was.

"Kakashi is dead!" I had found my voice. "And Jiraiya-sama can't walk!"

Just light that, the atmosphere lifted and the woman dropped Sasuke. She turned to me. "What?"

"Tsunade-sama, the village needs you. The Hokage fought Orochimaru and was paralyzed from the waist down. He'll never walk again without you. And Kakashi-sensei was killed, but he's being held in stasis for your return."

"Jiraiya…is hurt?" She clenched her fist. "THAT IDIOT!"

The ground beneath her cracked and she vanished from view. Sori groaned and started to emerge from the shattered embankment. "W-what…"

My cousin had also regained his composure. "Go after her, Sori."

I let out the breath I didn't know that I had been holding. "Kami, but that was scary."

"Good work, Chiemi." Sasuke turned to the black haired assistant. "She'll be on her way to Konoha, now?"

"Y-yes!" The woman turned. "I had better go after her. My name is Shizune by the way!"

* * *

"Genjutsu is most effective when, instead of creating an entirely false reality, you simply highlight or alter real things." Yugito indicated the stone in her hand. "It would be simpler, and therefore a more powerful illusion, for me to trick you into believing that this rock is fascinating and stab you myself while you're distracted as opposed to trick you into believing that for some reason you need to stab yourself."

"That makes little sense." The white eyed girl raised an eyebrow.

"Well…alright, say you want to lure a man over with the pretense of a beautiful woman. Instead of creating a false woman out of nothing, it's more powerful to alter yourself into a beautiful woman. Do you follow? Since you're the basis of the illusion, and you are real."

"Okay, I think I get it. The best lies are based in truth, etcetera?"

"Exactly right. Base your illusions on real things, and there will be more powerful."

"Thank you for all your help."

"It's not a problem."

The blonde girl stood, and turned to go. "It's time for me to leave now, anyway."

"I don't even know your name…"

"Nibi no Jinchuuriki."

Kaiden's white eyes widened. "Jin…jinchuuriki?"

"Yes."

"Thank you…"

"You've already said that."

Yugito left the girl in her makeshift shelter, and leapt away onto a nearby building. She had felt the chakra when it had appeared, and wished to spare the girl. The Jinchuuriki regarded the single figure in front of her, black cloak fluttering in the wind.

"Nii, Yugito. Daughter to the Raikage. Spiritual sister of Killer Bee. Jinchuuriki of the Nibi."

"I prefer the last one, actually." She lit her demonic cloak, feeling the bluish chakra fill her pathways. "Are we going to do this or what?"

The figure remained silent. So Yugito brought the fight to him. Testing his defenses, she sent her fist into its jaw. The figure reached up and grabbed her, absorbing the chakra cloak and overpowering her easily. It wrapped her body in its, and then they both disappeared with a pop and a puff of smoke.

When they reappeared, it was hundreds of miles away, deep in a cave. And they were surrounded by black cloaked Akatsuki members.

The Jinchuuriki swore.

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**Hope you've enjoyed it, let me know what you think.**

**FS**


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